Dear editor, In the Guardian's report (August 26) about the travellers in Hut Lane, Heath Charnock, you reported that the leader of the site, Mr Linfoot, was upset at how the council dealt with the illegal activity on this piece of greenbelt land.
This blatant piece of environmental vandalism could not have been dealt within any other way.
He quotes 'that this is our lives'. Does he mean breaking the law or what?
It is our lives, living in a quiet country lane at peace with all around, including the M61, that have been severely blemished by this illegal activity.
If I, as a non-Gypsy, were to buy a field, go and live on it with my family in a group of caravans I would be evicted very quickly - and quite rightly.
If one chooses a certain way of life there are consequences.
As a young man I chose to serve in the Arctic on deep water trawlers.
The risks were high but I knew this. Gypsy life style is the same, there are risks.
We all have to consider our lifestyle. I am not at all impresed with our legal system that is biased to one group of people or another, it is simply not fair.
We have one set of laws, if we don't like them it's tough, there are ways to change them.
I have in my later life worked with Romany families, helping them on educational matters.
I always found them be decent, hardworking and law-abiding, the Romany code of practice does not encourage or support green field intrusion by Gypsy groups.
Must I now change my view of Romany Gypsies?
Dr E K Isaac
Heath Charnock

More sneaky tactics please
Dear editor, I wish to comment on the story (Guardian, September 2) about police using 'sneaky' tactics to catch speeders - I wish they would carry out this type of activity more!
I live on Chorley Lane in Charnock Richard and I am amazed at the speeds some cars go along here.
There have been two accidents in the last month on this road that I have seen, of which speed must be a contributing factor.
It is even worse on Friday and Saturday nights with cars not only doing in excess of 60mph in a 30mph zone, but also doing handbrake turns in to some of the side roads in the early hours of the morning.
Surely the only way to stop this unsociable behaviour is to have police at the side of the road with a radar on a regular basis?
Cameras only slow traffic for that section. If the speed limit is 30mph and cars are doing 50-60mph – what will reducing the limit further achieve?
I would hazard a guess that over 50 per cent of cars are doing more than 30mph along certain sections of Chorley Lane.
For any readers who disapprove of this, there is one response – stick to the speed limit.
And just to put this in to perspective, I drive 40,000 miles a year and yes I have had points on my licence for speeding so I can speak from experience.
Driving is a must for many people – if you killed or injured someone and speeding was to blame – would you be able to justify that?
Steve Fifoot
Chorley Lane
Charnock Richard

What next for lawbreakers?
Dear editor, when the law-breaking people in their cars, have got fed up with complaining about 'sneaky' hiding police (Guardian, September 2), are they going to start on CCTV cameras in shops so they can commit another law-breaking action of 'shoplifting'?
Allen Brotherton
Cherry Tree Grove
Chorley

Thanks for help, ladies
Dear editor, I would like to show my appreciation for the kindness and consideration of two ladies who assisted my husband who had just been involved in a car accident in Chorley last Thursday night.
They went to the trouble of finding my whereabouts and offered to take me to the scene of the accident.
I didn't think to get their names at the time, but would just like to thank them for their thoughtfulness, and writing this letter appears to be the only way I can show my gratitude.
A Bentley
Grange Drive
Euxton


Cuts are UK's only option
Dear editor, I had to respond to Lynne Atherton's letter regarding the NHS during the Tory years (Guardian, September 2).
I agree the NHS under the Tories was not good and neither was the education of our children or social security due to lack of funding.
However you need to put this is economic context. In the 1970s and some of the 1980s the UK economy was in terminal decline.
Tax revenues were falling, productivity was falling, strikes were rife and unemployment was rising. Remember the poor man of Europe comments by France and Germany when talking about the UK?
The Government of the day had a difficult choice – raise taxes or cut spending.
Everyone knows raising taxes is difficult as the wealthy avoid most of it with clever planning or just move home to a more favourable country.
Therefore the only logical thing to do was try and cut spending whilst at the same time attract investment to create jobs. Hence Lynne's comments about the NHS being so bad. The only thing that saved us at the time was North Sea revenues from the oil and gas fields, however that income is falling now as the fields come to the end of their lives.
In the end running the UK economy is about good financial house keeping.
If the taxes are not coming in, then the NHS, social security and welfare services cannot be paid for and will not survive unaffected.
I mention this because our nation's debt levels in 1979 were in better shape than in 2009/10.
Our current chancellor has made it clear that budget increases to Government departments are to increase over the next few years less than the stringent controls put in place by Margaret Thatcher's Government in the 1980s.
In other words, the next few budgets are going to be the toughest years for the NHS and other Government departments ever.
It never fails to amaze me how many people are underestimating the impact of this recession on our everyday lives and the pain that is still to come.
The last 12 years has seen personal and government borrowing balloon and that has given us an easy ride as that money found its way into the economy.
The NHS was one of the beneficiaries. That party has now officially ended.
Regardless of the spin and ambiguous words from Westminster and regardless of political bias people like Lynne need to ask themselves who do they trust with the country's finances to sort this mess out?
Without that question answering the NHS and most of our social services cannot survive as they are.
As one economist recently stated 'the UK has remortgaged the house, maxed out the credit cards and sold the family silver'.
Sadly cuts in public services is one of the few ways left open to us as a nation. Anybody who says otherwise is indulging in wishful thinking or electioneering.
Greg Heath, managing director
Derbyshire Booth Financial Management Limited
Golden Hill Lane