Care while sunbathing

Sheffield people are more likely to be seen nude by neighbours than anywhere else in the UK.

Surrey police recently tweeted a warning about nude sunbathing in your garden, pointing out that “an Englishman’s home is not quite his castle and your garden is not exempt from the law”.

Allegedly it can get messy if your neighbours take umbrage and involve the police because you’ve failed to inform them that they could be seeing a lot more of you from now on and asked if they’ve got any objections.

Although it is not an offence per se to sunbathe in your birthday suit in your own garden, it can apparently become one if it causes alarm, distress or outrage to others, so says the law.

I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything of that nature in our neighbourhood, and, being a modest creature, I’m certainly not up for it.

In fact, I haven’t got the cheek, if you pardon the pun. However, it wouldn’t bother me if anyone within my field of vision does decide to partake in it. After all, it’s their body, their garden, their life.

A lot depends on garden dynamics and neighbourhood tolerance.

If your garden’s so overlooked that everyone’s going to get a grandstand view and your neighbours are likely to have a meltdown, then I’d advise anyone to give it a miss.

However, if you’ve got an abundance of tall trees and hedges, high fences and/or neighbours who have a reasonable tolerance of ‘starkers’ sunbathing, then go for it, if you want to.

It all comes down to exercising discretion and common sense at the end of the day if you want to avoid someone calling ‘the boys in blue’ when they’ve seen you soaking up the sun while wearing nothing but suncream and a smile. After all, they have a lot more serious crimes they could be attending to.

CM Langan

Sheffield, S8

Hillsborough walled garden

I was saddened to read that Christine Welburn, chair of Friends of Hillsborough Park was unhappy about my view that Hillsborough Walled Garden was impoverished and neglected.

Well Christine, it’s a long time since Hillsborough Community Development was on the go but when it did the pond in the garden was a haven for wildlife, the toilets in their garden were open and not vandalised and left derelict like the Old Coach House.

The Trust employed a full-time gardener who trained others.

Being a Sixer I continue to lobby for areas in S6 including the park.

I would be useless as a volunteer as I am not keen on earthworms but let me know your address so I can make a donation to a haven that we both care about.

Ron Clayton

Sheffield, S6

Doncaster cinema

WHOOPEEE... We are getting a cinema in Doncaster town centre. Wasn’t it a Labour mayor who allowed the demolition of the lovely Art Deco Gaumont cinema?

It is amazing that the council is playing fast and loose with the council taxpayers’ money to fund it.

Yet, take a look at the roads in the borough, they are a disgrace.

I can only assume that none of the council takes the time to look at the eyesore the town centre is becoming with all the shop closures and ultra-high rents forcing some market traders to close.

So why wasn’t there any money to refurbish the old registry office at Elmfield Park? It is pretty sad to see all the wedding guests mingling with shoppers and the down and outs in Priory Place on their big day.

The council needs to be attracting some high-value, high-skill, highly paid jobs to the town to put disposable income in people’s pockets. That is the only way the council’s pipe dreams will survive. The residents of this once proud industrial town deserve a lot better than this council sees fit to give us.

Alan Mackintosh

Doncaster, DN7

Amazed and shocked

When Peter Stringfellow died, I was amazed and shocked by the amount of coverage in the local press.

Clearly, he had friends from his younger days who remain loyal.

However, he is known nationally as someone who made a lot of money in the grubby world of sex exploitation.

He was a most unsuitable person to be honoured.

The council is to be applauded for refusing to besmirch the reputation of Sheffield by associating the city with him.

Margaret Horne

Struan Road, Sheffield, S7

No need to panic

What a load of old rubbish talked about a few weeks of good weather and would you believe it, no rain.

According to all the health advisors and farmers we’re all doomed if we’re over 55 or under five and by this time next year we will all have starved to death anyway.

After hundreds of years of the British weather and hundreds of years of British farming you would think we might have cottoned on by now.

But no, we’re feeding animals next year’s silage, (putting meat prices up), the crops won’t grow, (putting veg prices up), but don’t panic, Mr Mainwaring, the farmers next spring will still be driving around in their flashy Range Rovers.

John Vintin

Sheffield, S10

Harry is a smashing lad

Once again we see an ex-Blade in Harry Maguire worth an excellent transfer fee.

If McCabe hadn’t seen the pound signs and sold him Sheffield United could be in for millions but us Blades have seen it so many times before.

Good luck to Harry wherever he ends up,I personally would love to see him with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.

He’s a smashing lad and deserves to go far after his World Cup show.

Brenda Titterton

Chesterfield

Vote for Gareth

There is only one thing to do now with all the toing and froing and the government unable to come up with a solution to Brexit is to put Gareth Southgate the England manager in charge he will sort it no problem.

EB Warris

by email