How tickled

Here I am with his Bronze statue at Liverpool train station. A true comedy ledgend RIP our Beloved Doddy x

Diane Hakala 74

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Sir Ken Dodd RIP

A true comic genius has died with the passing of Sir Ken Dodd.

I remember seeing him around 1960 when he had Colin Keys as his pianist.

Sir Ken was brilliant then as always.

No effing and blinding, he didn’t need to, just pure clean fun, you could not get him off the stage.

A true legend. R I P.

Terry Palmer

South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley , S74

Pothole watch

Surely the most efficient way to identify potholes would be to adopt the method used by some councils such as Thurrock Council, who have installed cameras on their refuse wagons which monitor the quality of the highway as the trucks go along their routes.

The images and results are fed back to their council’s road repair staff who then plan the repair of potholes and other highway maintenence in line with the survey results.

This saves Thurrock Council a lot of money in not having to send out highway survey teams and helps ensure that the worst potholes are dealt with promptly.

It’s obviously easier to set up such a system when the council manages and operates both the refuse services AND the highways maintenance service – a situation that does not apply in Sheffield, of course.

But no doubt Veolia and Amey as contractors will be able to find a profitable way to provide the service to Sheffield Council.

But perhaps the Streets Ahead and Veolia contracts are inviolate and cannot be altered as shown by failing attempts by tree campaigners to have the Streets Ahead contract amended to allow a more nuanced approach to the felling and maintenance of Sheffield’s street trees.

If this is the case and the contracts cannot be altered then does this mean that new operating methods or technologies cannot be used during the length of the contracts?

I’d like to think the Sheffield Council staff who drafted the Veolia and Streets Ahead contracts have built in a methodology to amend the contracts to allow changes in appropriate circumstances, such as the use of new operating opportunities such as those in use in Thurrock.

And if that is the case, which I hope it is, then when will our council begin to implement such a sensible, efficient and lower-cost way of watching and fixing potholes?

RJB

Greystones

On the buses part two

I write further to my letter published on Wednesday, February 28, headed “And Then My Alarm Went Off”. In the letter I set out my thoughts on the use and abuse of our buses.

It was remiss of me not to mention the very generous passengers who share their choice of music with the rest of us.

Unfortunately their choice is almost inevitably an offering by some very limited and talented artist who speaks rather than sings the words to a monotonous and repetitive backing track.

I had hoped that my letter might provoke a little interest even if only some similarly sarcastic comments from the likes of “Buster Heeley.” However it seems that the good people of Sheffield aren’t as exercised about the behaviour of other bus users as I am.

I do note that my letter did attract one very favourable response, so I say to Ms Wilford of Woodseats, I am the thin, very serious-looking bloke usually reading a book and sitting at the back of the 75 or 76 bus. I’m the one with my feet very firmly on the ground, and not on the seat in front.

Andrew Thorpe

Bingham Road, Woodseats, S8

Limited choice

I am writing about the very limited choice of housing on the new build Brearley Forge project at Parson Cross.

Keepmoat is building the same style of housing that was built in the 1940s. Short terrace, a small number of semi-detached and some four bedrooms.

Councillors from all parties have told Sheffield Council there is a demand for all types of housing and a mix should be built on this estate. This council will not allow any detached apartments or bungalows to be built.

Sheffield City Council has introduced a scheme called custom-built where you can buy a plot of land and have whatever type or style of property built to your specification.

When I made enquiries about buying a plot of land on Adrian Crescent, the council said there was no plot for sale. So how are people in the Sheffield 5 area ever going to get on the housing ladder?

Paul Barber

Mindless thugs

I’d like your readers to know of an incident that happened to me on Wednesday, February 28, at 5.30pm.

I’d been to Asda at Rossington as I live in another village, I’m a 70 years old disabled man, I drove down towards the Welfare when I saw a large gang of youths either side of the road. I expected a few snowballs, but this gang, sorry, pack of animals, put mud and stones in snowballs. There were approximately 20+ of them. As I approached West End Lane junction they tried to open my car doors and pelt me and started banging and kicking my car. Some had ski masks on. Someone will definitely get run down, but then it will be the driver’s fault. I hope their parents are really proud of these mindless thugs.

Name and address supplied

Article on the CTS

Your article on the CTS did not state that originally it was called The junior Technical School when it was opened in 1933. I know this as I was there in 1934 and it was still this name in 1939.

John Judge

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