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Binmen not to blame

I BELIEVE the electorate should be able to hold any democratically elected organisation to account but any criticism should be justifiable, accurate and fair.

As I read the report, “Binmen are rubbish parish tells bosses”, (SA April 22), I started to feel a certain amount of sympathy for the employees who were being criticised.

I have noticed there is sometimes more litter on the highway after their visits and sometimes they leave the boxes and wheelie bins in awkward locations on the footpath. But generally, the job is done efficiently.

Haydon Wick parish councillor John Stooke said of the binmen, “The lads throw the boxes and the litter around and there are always plastic bottles and tins in the middle of the road.”

Residents are supposed to place plastic bottles into a polythene bag and ensure the contents are securely tied up for collection so it seems unlikely the binmen can be held entirely responsible for this problem.

I suggest certain residents may be responsible for some of the additional litter which occurs on waste collection days.

I have noticed that lids on the orange recycling boxes are not always clipped on securely. If it is windy any flimsy waste paper is easily blown out.

As a consequence of large amounts of waste forced into the black wheelie bins the lids are sometimes partially open which may also account for some of their contents being blown out.

Polythene bags containing plastic waste are not always tied securely so plastic bottles may drop out.

I believe it is waste collection system which is the real problem. I have never understood why some bright spark thought it would be appropriate to have binmen at the roadside sorting rubbish into various compartments of a refuse collection vehicle.

When these vehicles stop they create a hazard for road users and pedestrians and impede traffic flow.

I have often wondered how much additional road traffic pollution this bizarre system has helped to generate and what impact the accumulated delays to traffic flow has had on the local economy.

Other local authorities get their residents to put all household waste into wheelie bins. Their roadside collections are automated and quick. The chances of litter being dropped during collection is reduced, the systems are safer and interruption to traffic flow is reduced.

To those who are critical of the binmen I would say, you may have a point, but consider all of the factors.

These employees have a difficult physical job to do. They have to work in hazardous conditions sometimes having to dodge impatient drivers. They are out in all weather conditions, getting soaking wet when it rains, freezing cold during the winter and hot and sweaty in the summer. How many people would want to do this job?

K KANE, Wharf Road, Wroughton

A mum’s story

I READ with interest your article “Grieving Mum Vows to Fight Bike Crash Verdict.”

I, too, lost my only child although it is now more than10 years ago. The only thing different between myself and Luke Coram’s mum, is that I accepted that my child was at fault and caused his own death, painful though that was to do.

She has been told what the toxicology report said. How can she be THAT sure that Luke would not have ridden his bike while under the influence that evening?

When a person has been drinking and/or taken drugs (no matter how little), they are not always aware of what they are doing. I had experience of dealing with this as an A&E nurse in London a few years ago.

I can understand her desperation to place blame on anyone other than her son. No mother likes to think their son did something wrong. Several witnesses said he was seen riding at speed - not just one person, All she is doing by continuing to deny the reason for her son’s death, is torturing herself.

I couldn’t cope with losing my son, so moved out of London, but I had to accept that my son had been drinking when he had his accident because the facts from witnesses and the post mortem examination showed this.

I hope that Luke’s mother will soon come to a place of acceptance. Mine took some years and was an extremely painful journey.

GINA CHANDLER, Welcombe Avenue, Swindon

Thanks from Rotarians

THE Rotary Club of Swindon Phoenix would like to thank the members of the Swindon Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre for their amazing support while hosting our recent joint fundraiser for the Rotary Jaipur Limb Project, this event raised a magnificent £2,046.

Special thanks to the chair and table movers, entertainers including brilliant dancers, equally brilliant musicians, awesome henna tattooists, the Sari tyers, the food donators, the amazing team in the kitchen for providing a superb three-course Indian meal and not forgetting the food servers and everyone else.

Rotarians, together with family and friends, all came away from the event with very warm feelings of friendship and want our link to not only remain but to get stronger as we work together to help more of those folk less fortunate than ourselves, both here and around the world.

We have received glowing emails of thanks, stating their enjoyment from many attendees, including the president and members of the Rotary Club of Gloucester and Bristol who travelled a considerable distance to join us.

We now look forward to welcoming the team from the Swindon Temple and Cultural Centre who have entered our Dragon Boat Race event at Coate Water on Sunday June 25 just as we welcome other teams to enter and compete against them, (see website at www.swindondragonboat.org.uk ) it’s not too late to book.

Any charity or other good cause reading this, or even companies wanting a fun-filled day of team building and wishing to make up a team should contact the club for advice or help in doing so.

To raise sponsorship for their favourite charity or cause Swindon Phoenix Rotary Club will organise a just giving page for each team and also offer sponsorship forms on each team’s registration.

We also have space for some more lakeside stalls.

We would also like to thank The Brunel Shopping Centre management team for allowing us to use a shop unit again last Saturday to conduct our fifth Know Your Blood Pressure Day.

This year we were able to give readings to 300 people, the most we have ever achieved in a day thanks to our superb volunteer nurses, our partners, as well as our club members, all of whom gave their time freely for this life saving cause.

Some folk were advised to go to their doctor’s for further checks in the near future, some readings were so high that several were advised to go to the Medical Walk-in Centre; remember none of them had any idea that they had high blood pressure before having this reading.

PETER GOLDSWORTHY, Past Rotary President

We must think big

BRITAIN keeps its promises, particularly to those most in need. For 10 years, our commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid has been testament to that, and featured in all the major political party manifestos running up to the last General Election.

I am proud of the UK’s history of providing life-saving aid to the world’s most vulnerable children.

As the first major economy to reach this spending target, the UK has shown how a transparent, independent and accountable approach to aid funding can change the world.

It is the right thing to do, and it shows the world that we are bigger than just ourselves.

Immunising millions of children against preventable diseases makes us a bigger Britain. Supporting our doctors and nurses to lead the fight against Ebola makes us a bigger Britain.

Creating jobs and trade opportunities in developing countries makes us a bigger Britain.

This election must be an opportunity for all parties to reaffirm that commitment. We are big enough to help people both at home and abroad. Let us all call on our future politicians to show their commitment to the most vulnerable by protecting UK aid.

NEIL GAMMON, Duchess Way, Swindon

Nurses made to pay

THE Government implemented another real-terms pay cut for nursing staff this month and in response the Royal College of Nursing’s Council decided to ask all 270,000 of its members in the NHS how they want to respond.

As the south west elected members of the RCN Council, we voted to launch a poll of members to give nursing staff a voice and decide what action to take.

In the online poll, RCN members have a chance to vote for action short of a strike – such as not working unpaid overtime – or taking an historical decision for strike action.

Nursing staff are beyond disappointed by years of pay restraint when the pressure on our services has reached unprecedented levels.

With this week’s announcement of a General Election there is no better time to hold politicians to account for the impact of their policies on NHS staff and on patient care.

Nurses are not taking this step lightly - the wellbeing of our patients is the priority of everyone, but too many of us are struggling to make ends meet and we should not have to cover the NHS deficit from our own pay packet.

We ask for readers support and understanding.

LORS ALLFORD AND VICKY BROTHERTON, South West RCN Council members

No U-turns now

I VOTED leave but have come to dislike the word Brexit. A consolation for poets is that it does rhyme with sexit and flexit.

Joking apart, us leavers must make sure that Theresa May sticks to her promise - no tricky U-turns on this one. I voted leave partly because poorer people thought it would help them.

MAX NOTTINGHAM, Lincoln