I recently read a book which describes vividly London street scenes in the early 19th Century before sewers and drainage had been built, which would, by today's
standards be considered third world.
I quote "Horse dung, spread by the rolling wheels of traffic and turned by rain to a brown sludge, was sprayed by passing
vehicles over the skirts and trouser legs of those on the pavements".
Just like Blackpool, 200 years later, where, because road gullies are never routinely cleaned and maintained (and haven't been for years), many hundreds are blocked. When there are torrential downpours vast "lakes" appear on the Promenade, Lytham Road, Whitegate Drive and other roads. Apart from causing serious safety hazards they also cause a serious health hazard for on the Promenade they contain copious amounts of horse dung.
The Blackpool Council website states "All road gullies on the public highway are the
responsibility of the Highways Authority at Blackpool Council, to maintain. Should you find that a street gully has become blocked you will need to contact Customer First, who will refer this through to the Street Scene team for unblocking".
Empty words. Why have our lucratively paid council officials allowed such a
deterioration to happen? Where are our council Health and Safety Officers? And are our hapless councillors of all political
persuasions, and the commissars at the Blackpool Tourist Office – like the horses on the Promenade – blinkered?
"Public scandal" are words which understate the seriousness of the situation.
We welcome Blackpool's visitors with fresh air and sea breezes but send them home with memories of these vast Promenade
expanses of surface road water and the
delights of a foul smelling spray!
I am not impressed.
Peter Clark
Lichfield Road
Blackpool

Anger at one stop free rides
In response to all the letters about pensioners and their free bus
passes, I have never known
anything like it in all my years in Blackpool.
The buses have never been as full as they are now.
However, now people have these passes I've witnessed them going just one stop.
I am not against these passes but surely they must be a rule where you have to go so many stops.
I have been on a bus which was full and the driver had no change
because of all the passes.
Blackpool Transport should not be blamed for this.
They should not have to put on extra buses to cover these passes and lose out. The Government should pay for all of these passes and not the council tax payers.
Gary Stelling
Spencer Court
Blackpool

Not fair
I am partially disabled through asthma, bronchitis and other conditions and have a free bus pass which I use.
But I do think these free bus passes should only be
issued to people like me and not to the rich elderly people who can afford the bus fares. It is not fair to tax payers like my son.
Name and address supplied


Parking fine is ridiculous
I was in the car park at the
Teanlowe Centre in Poulton when I saw a pharmaceutical van unloading outside the chemist store.
It was on a double yellow line slightly on the kerb. I couldn't
believe it when the traffic
warden went past and put a
sticker on the windscreen.
Why don't these wardens use a bit of common sense? They are just part of the fixed penalty brigade. What I witnessed was ridiculous.
Tony Worsley
Poulton
Reverse water firm privatisation
We have heard all the water
company claims of investment over the last couple of decades.
Huge amounts of water still leak from the system. This is happening while the utility companies are making massive profits, all the time providing us with a third rate service.
The money from price rises, is going straight to shareholders, who play no part in provision of water service.
There is obviously money in the water industries. These same shareholders picked up their shares got them for next to
nothing in the first place.
Take these companies back into public ownership and for the time being give some teeth to that
cringing water watchdog Ofwat.
Royston Jones
Cleveleys
Ford owners film appeal
Did you dream of driving like The Professionals or The Sweeney?
Were family holidays spent
navigating the countryside in a Ford Cortina?
Testimony Films is making a
documentary for BBC
celebrating the cult classic British Ford cars made at Dagenham. From the Anglia and the Capri to the Zodiac and the Zephyr.
We would love to hear how your Ford car changed your life.
Perhaps you have memories of incredible journeys, perhaps you have an unusual car or maybe you found romance on the road.
Perhaps you are the oldest Ford-driver in the country! Did you drive a Ford Model T?
If you have stories, photos or home movies of you and your car
during these decades, then please email me at clair.titley@testimonyfilms.com, ring on (0117) 925 8589
Clair Titley
Testimony Films