BILL Tait and Clive Proctor are quite right to point out the damage done by offroading motorbikes and 4x4s on our historic unsealed green lanes, which were never meant to be used by modern day motor vehicles.

Walkers, horse riders and cyclists have to try and dodge the ruts, but they are often so bad they can’t use the lane.

This situation is particularly bad for horse riders as these green lanes are really important offroad routes.

A highway authority has the power to prohibit use by motor vehicles by way of a traffic regulation order, which can be made not only to prevent damage, but also to avoid danger and preserve the character and amenity of the road.

Do we just accept the damage or do we say enough is enough and campaign for North Yorkshire County Council to do more to protect these old roads?

Alison Fuller, Pickering

Democracy’s dead

ELIZABETH Ord (the Government planning inspector of the Joint Waste and Mineral Plan) said in April she backed the plan submitted by North Yorkshire County Council, City of York and North Yorkshire National Park of 500 metre setback from houses to frack sites.

The industry immediately objected and threatened her with legal action.

Is it a mere coincidence that in May the Government announced plans of changes to the planning laws taking fracking applications away from local government to Central Government?

Followed by proposals for permitted development of exploratory wells without planning permission.

I think we can safely conclude that local democracy is dead.

Monica Gripaios, Hovingham

Green dream cost

IN Peter Allen’s letter (August 22) he states “Why is it the (gas) industry has done nothing to solve problems of air pollution, water pollution, earthquakes, well explosions etc”. His arguments are historical and mendacious.

UK regulations were introduced to mitigate against these issues, eg waste water ponds are banned because leakages caused water pollution in the USA. Amazing advances in technology allow gas wells to be drilled horizontally and at much deeper depths and distances apart than previous wells. Consequently, claims that there will be hundreds of wells spread out across our region is utter poppycock.

From one well pad, the size of three football pitches, several well heads (approximately the height of a human) can each have several wells drilled from them horizontally outwards for approximately two kilometres.

This means the next well pad does not need to be closer than a minimum of four kilometres due to the length of the horizontal wells.

The Vale of Pickering could possibly have 10 to 12 well pads, plus there are restrictions regarding drilling in national parks and in AONBs, etc. The industry is in its exploration phase, if viable, the industry could fully invest in reducing their impact on local communities.

As we transfer to renewables away from gas people need to be honest and realistic, it will require a massive increase in our electrical infrastructure, including thousands of pylons, sub stations, wind turbines, solar panels and associated truck movements and inevitable “industrialisation”.

The green dream comes at a cost too, not only to our pockets. However, we will still need gas to back up the intermittency of renewables, provide feedstock for industry and to create fertilisers to help feed billions of people in the world.

Lorraine Allanson, Allerston

Take part in survey

ALMOST 3.7 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in the UK. The condition doesn’t just affect people physically, but has a big emotional impact that is equally harmful and is often overlooked.

Living with diabetes can be tough, and a lack of emotional and psychological support can make it even harder to manage the condition.

At Diabetes UK we want emotional, psychological and mental health support for people with diabetes to become a priority.

We believe everyone should have the space and opportunity to talk about their emotional wellbeing, be empowered to seek support, and know where to go to get it.

Your experiences will help us make the case – so please take part in our survey and tell us how living with diabetes makes you feel, and whether the care you receive gives you enough support to cope with managing diabetes when your emotional wellbeing is low.

If you are living with diabetes, if you’re a parent of a child or a carer for someone with diabetes, complete our online survey by September 30 at bit.ly/diabetesemotionalsupport

Rachel Martin,

Diabetes UK, Warrington