Police force

I WONDER what the Metropolitan Police counter terrorism network think about the infrastructure offered to them in investigating Sergei Skripal’s poisoning. I fear it may reinforce a view that a rural Police Force outside the M25 is rather backward. I suppose being given room in the council offices (sorry I meant Salisbury Police Station) is better than having to go to Police HQ in Devizes where the police and crime commissioner and the temporary chief constable made their press statements. Oh for the days when we had a proper police station which had the room and facilities (and a custody suite if needed) to mount a major investigation.

This is not trying to be unsupportive of our police force which works very hard for us. It is a criticism of how it is run and the perceived marginalisation of Salisbury and South Wiltshire.

On a more positive note it was good to see some CCTV coverage on national TV – we actually have CCTV! But I’m really sorry for the rest of Wiltshire because it seems as if all of the County’s Police and PCSOs are in the city at the moment.

John Cutland, Wilton

CCTV

THANK goodness the fiasco of not having CCTV in Salisbury, was sorted out before this week’s big story developed.

Ray Crowther, Alderbury

A303 horror

I WRITE to comment and support the idea put forward by David Wise and Christina Mason in recent letters to Journal Postbag. When Highways England originally asked for ideas on the A303 Stonehenge to Berwick Down Improvement Scheme, I submitted a plan for the A303 to be dualled on its present line, with the road in a cutting for approximatel 200 metres past Stonehenge and a northern bypass for Winterbourne Stoke. This was rejected as there could be no new roads built in the World Heritage Site (WHS) and if this happened we would lose the WHS status, having visited the Public Exhibition I now find as you exit the western end of the tunnel which is in WHS a new dual carriageway road in a 17 metre cutting so I would expect Highways England to reject this plan otherwise the WHS status would be lost.

Having visited the exhibition, well presented with colour photographs/diagrams and expensive videos, I found out more horrors. The estimated 1.25 million cubic metres of soil dug from the tunnel is to be transported by hundreds of lorries to Winterbourne Stoke and put by the side of the Shrewton B3089. Instead of keeping the road as low as possible across the River Till it will be elevated by 10 metres to allow the B3083 to go under the by-pass. I would say to would-be visitors to the exhibition, bypass the videos etc and ask questions about the detail. If this project goes ahead we will leave an appalling legacy for future generations to come.

Ian West, Winterbourne Stoke

Rat run road

I READ with interest the article concerning the proposed road widening and traffic lights on Milford Mill Road. It’s quite narrow and the tunnel has to be taken carefully, but this actually makes it a relatively safe road, as most drivers proceed cautiously and are encouraged to think. It is difficult to justify the installation of traffic lights at the bridge on safety grounds, as the last recorded accident there was in February 2016 and was not serious. The only problems in the past have been the potholes on the edge and the awful surface under the bridge. When the road surface was replaced they failed to address either of these. If they had put in kerbs and repaired under the bridge, no more would have been needed. If you widen what you describe as a rat run you will just end up with a greater number of faster rats. This plan looks like a very expensive answer to a problem that doesn’t exist. They would do better to fill in potholes and repaint Salisbury’s road markings.

Richard Tambling, Salisbury

Keep rainbow

IN response to a letter by a Mrs Cooke last week ‘Crazy World’, I fail to see how a rainbow-coloured fire engine can cause such contempt. The LGBT community needs as much visibility and support as possible. Discrimination is still prolific, and must be constantly addressed – your letter being a good place to start. You say you want the fire service to ‘keep their dignity’ by ‘not going down the route of insanity with this rainbow craze’? It’s not in the least bit undignified or insane to want to support this ‘minority group’ you talk about (which seems disingenuous when there’s over a million people in the UK who identify as LGBT). I’d guess you’d rather ignore the issue than be faced with it on the side of a fire engine.

I feel that support from community-focused services, such as DW fire, is hugely beneficial in showing solidarity to the cause. We all need to show more understanding. There’s still a few twists and turns on this ‘rainbow road’ we’re travelling down. But we’ll reach equality eventually.

Dom Sutcliffe, Wilton

Mc-litter woe

IN response to the letter from Pam Dewey in last week’s edition of the Journal Postbag I would like to say that I fully support her views on the litter situation.

I would also like to add that, once the McDonald’s drive-thru on Southampton Road is open, the litter all around this area will be even worse than it is now.

Driving down the A36 from the Southampton area a beautiful view of the cathedral spire can be seen at the top of the hill near to Pepperbox Hill and then on reaching the flat on the dual carriageway litter everywhere – in the bushes and shrubs. This will be followed on the right hand side by the first building on view a McDonald’s drive-thru what a message for everyone...Welcome to Medieval Salisbury.

Jacqueline Exley, Salisbury

Snow thanks

I WOULD like to pay tribute to two Salisbury people, who helped us to get home on Thursday evening last week.

We are a couple in our seventies who were returning from a month’s holiday in Chile where our son lives. The journey by coach from London Heathrow was very difficult and it was due to the great skill and courage of the driver that we arrived safely in Salisbury, only to find that there were no buses or taxis running. We were trudging up Castle Street through the snow with our heavy cases at about 7.30pm when a very kind domiciliary care manager spotted us and took us home to Wilton in her car. Our grateful thanks to both of them.

Valerie Jackson & Michael Pozner, Wilton