However, I wanted to say full marks to the Suffolk Police officer for bravely bothering to point the offence out, even if it was unkind to single one person out from the many thousands who think the bling factor of unnecessary lights looks cool.
Misuse of fog lights and, indeed, headlights, as regards early unnecessary use, is a massive safety hazard in terms of distraction, eye irritation and tiredness. They obscure indicator lamps, they make pedestrians and cyclists harder to spot and unnecessary foglights or headlight use means it takes longer to assimilate what is happening behind you in mirrors.
It's also annoying and a matter of great dismay that in, for example, light drizzle at dusk so many people put their headlights on when sidelights are the better and more legal option. Headlights actually impair visibility from the glare from wet roads or by catching in the droplets on the windscreen/windows.
Less is more when it comes to lighting or, put another way, the lighting (and the lighting regulations in law) call for a proportionate use of lights to fit the circumstances. Yet, sadly, most people think as much glare shining in each other's eyes the better!
Might Suffolk Police think of some kind of road safety campaign focusing on illegal headlight and foglight use, such as posters on the backs of buses and a suitable mention at the end of radio traffic bulletins, perhaps around the time of sunset or sunrise, to help promote considerate use?
Full marks again to Suffolk Police. Let's hope you start a national trend and also keep up the good work each and every day on this much neglected topic.
Andrew Tonkin,
Northamptonshire.

Allotments: Good and bad

THE article about allotments (Bury Free Press, November 28), is good news for some, but not for others.
Euan Allen approves the possible increase in plot numbers and also advocates reclaiming old allotment land.
The reclamation of land can be expensive, especially when the correct farm machinery is used. Before one goes ahead on this idea, it may be worth contacting all those on the waiting list to find out if they are willing to take plots allocated by the council, rather than those in locations they want. It may be that not so many plots are required.
In the past, some plot-holders have neglected their land, causing weed problems with their neighbours and returning a year or two later, having been allocated another plot. This must stop.
Multiple-plots has only happened because the council has allowed it.
There should be no out-of-town plot-holders and, if Bury Town Council is serious, those who hold them should be told to quit now, before digging/planting starts – not when 'ready', as suggested by Mr Allen.
Water meters should be installed with free water for April-September and not available (not needed) for the remainder of the year. The water board would only need to read once yearly.
Plot-holders could be issued with an identity card, similar to a bus pass – and pest control needs to be looked into.
April is a bad time for a changeover of plots. By this time, a healthy crop of weeds has formed and may put potential tenants off. A more suitable time would be October as, by April, most crops should be sown. A more suitable time for change-over would be when most crops are off and the land relatively clean, for example October/November.
The rent renewals could be sent out on October 1, with a warning for 12 months in advance, and if non-payment or no reply is received by November, re-allocation should be applied.
Roy Day,
Park Road, Bury St Edmunds.

A picture of safety

After reading the article in last week's Bury Free Press, regarding the need to spend £130,000 on the paths in the Abbey Gardens due to possible trip hazards, I then picked up a copy of the latest St Edmundsbury Borough Council Community Spirit magazine.
The front cover of this magazine shows three people armed with chainsaws supposedly about to do their bit for a local village project.
One wonders where the eagle-eyed health and safety team who spotted the dangerous paths were when their masters were sending out the message to the whole borough that it is okay to use a potentially lethal chainsaw without the correct safety footwear, trousers, gloves and, in the case of two of the three people in the picture, helmet, face mask, and ear defenders.
D A Poulter
Church Close, Hepworth.

Change the A11 route

The Highways Agency has now advised us of a further exhibition of its proposals for the A11 this coming weekend.
Whereas we all welcome the proposal for improving the A11, the burning question of the Barton Mills roundabout is not significantly dealt with, even in this latest proposal.
At present, it does not require much wit to see that the problems of congestion emanate from three areas: The Barton Mills roundabout, the traffic lights at Elveden and the roundabouts at Thetford.
The Highways Agency proposal will eliminate only the traffic lights at Elveden. This will mean traffic will still be held up at each end of the improvement. It will also mean that the Barton Mills roundabout will progressively carry more traffic and be more dangerous than it already is.
However, with a bold approach, already suggested in some detail to our MP and the Highways Agency, a section of the A11, slightly extended, of approximately four miles, from Barton Mills, could be moved south. It would mean the loss of some farmland south of Barton Mills but would carry the A11 highway further from the village and clear of the roundabout.
The present route would remain and would carry A1065 and A1101 traffic. Land to the north of the roundabout would be returned to forestry and farmland
Even if readers do not agree with moving the road, they should consider the long term effects of leaving it where it is and the difficulty of a later improvement of the roundabout.
The exhibition will demonstrate a dual-carriageway which could easily apply to a different route. It is up to us to take advantage of the opportunity given in the Highways Agency leaflet under the title What Happens Next. The only way to change the situation is by public representation. Let the authority know your views.
Peter Sturgeon,
Kingsway, Mildenhall,

Make your views known

MORE than 43 per cent of residents of the borough live in the countryside, yet only one in 10 new houses were built in our countryside between 1996 and 2008. The position is the same with jobs and shops.
This is having a dramatic effect, far beyond the price of houses in the rural areas.
Families and communities are breaking up over the inability of our children and grandchildren to afford to buy in the villages they were brought up in, assuming they could find an increasingly rare job in the countryside.
No effort is being made to ensure that the services and facilities needed are provided.
Your council can do something about this, but chooses not to. You have a chance to do something about it by taking part in the consultation on the Local Development Framework (LDF). If you don't, your silence will be deemed acquiesence and the problems of the last 12 years will be enhanced when settlement boundaries are stripped away from villages and any further development in smaller villages will be blocked.
This is serious. It doesn't just affect you – it affects your children and their children, their chance to live near you or get a job nearby. It also affects those who live in the centre of Bury, as the congestion and pollution builds up.
It may sound boring to make a comment on the LDF, but not doing so may have big consequences. You have until January 5 to make your views known.
David Chappell,
Fornham All Saints.

Represent the majority

RE: special area licensing policy.
It is sad to see that councillors Paul Farmer and Richard Rout do not represent the views of the majority of residents in the Abbeygate area, despite their claims in the Bury Free Press two weeks ago.
From the council's own statistics there are 800 business and residential premises in the area identified. However the survey undertaken by the Churchgate Area Association, to obtain views on the matter, only received 75 responses. Some seven responses were from organisations such as the borough council. Only half of the remainder showed any support for the special area policy.
Those who choose town centre living do so for easy access to amenities, together with the lifestyle and culture that goes with it.
I wish to see business thrive in the town centre and not see premises forced to close because councillors fail to represent the majority of those within their area. It is also the responsibility of our councillors to consider and support the local economy.
Amanda Skull,
Whiting Street, Bury.

Fair was fantastic

WHAT a great Christmas fair. There must be many people who think as I do. I so admire all the work that went into making it the biggest and best yet.
The weather was kind, the stalls were all attractive, the performances really good and the carousel enjoyed by all.
Bury St Edmunds should be proud of hosting such an event.
Mrs E Millwood,
Whiting Street, Bury.

We want a green town

I was pleased to read with interest (Bury Free Press, December 5) of the ideas put forward and that there is support for increased tree planting in the town, not only to improve the precious 'green spaces' but within the new Cattle Market development.
The Bury Society is working to achieve a much 'greener' and welcoming car park in the town and new development by engaging a landscape architect to incorporate more trees and to improve the soft landscaping within the shopping areas.
The importance of trees within our towns and cities to improve our environment can not be stressed enough in these times of climate change and they will provide a legacy for years to come to benefit us all.
Sarah Green,
Chairman, The Bury Society.

Thanks for the help

I would like to send my sincere thanks to Gill Harrod, at Waitrose, in Bury St Edmunds, for looking after my elderly mother after she fell at the store on December 3.
Gill not only picked mother up, but completed her shopping for her, gave her a hot drink, took her home in a private car and ensured she was settled before leaving.
It is reassuring to know that people such as Gill are working within our community.
Trevor Banthorpe,
Huntingfield Road, Bury.

Collection raised £2,435

I would like to thank all those who took part in the annual street collection prior to Remembrance Sunday, in the town centre.
The three cadet forces did their usual sterling service, all of them a credit to their uniforms – in company with several forces veterans and private volunteers who helped to swell the numbers to what was probably the largest number of bodies we have had so far.
Jenny Bradin, the Mayor's secretary, smoothed the way with our site – what a change from some previous years.
As founder of the Suffolk Area of the Military Vehicle Trust, I have always included MVs in our day.
All this served to raise a total of £2,435 for the Poppy Appeal on the day, around £100 up on last year.
So, thank you all who took part and all who gave so generously in these hard times.
David Hardy,
Vice-chairman, Royal British Legion, Bury.

Join St Eval association

IN APRIL 2005, a historic ceremony took place unveiling a granite memorial at the gateway to St Eval's Church, Cornwall.
More than 1,000 aircrew and ground staff lost their lives at RAF St Eval between 1939-59 while the station was operational. It was one of the largest operation stations during World War Two.
All ranks from RAF, WAAF and WRAF or next of kin who served at RAF St Eval, are invited to join the RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association. It has two reunions every year, in April and September, and two newsletters, in January and July.
For further information, call Ray Massey on 01925 755556 or Ken Wilson 01514 243263.
Ray Massey,
Vice-chairman,
RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association.