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POLICE report reveals crime up 37 per cent in three years in Hyndburn. Cuts to police numbers have been blamed with rises in most categories of crimes (website, April 6) Callum James: Borough with no police station has increase in crime levels...doesn’t take a mathematician to work out the correlation. Martin Hanratty: Stop blaming officers they have a hard enough job trying to police with skeleton staff more funding required. Youth clubs closed, approx 250 young people per night across Hyndburn out on the streets with no where to go and nothing to do! Yes they will get up to mischief and anti social behaviour - I’m interested in what crimes contribute to the increase, thefts, drugs, anti social behaviour, violence and aggression. Domestic violence? Totally understand prioritising policing. Jean Rio Alderson: If there are no police that’s what happens, but then the government knows that and they don’t care. Alan Walmsley: There’s no deterrent nowadays. They just get let off with a slap on the wrist. If they even get to court. Andrew Moxham: The rise in crime is mainly because of the perpetrators punitive sentences they are given when they are caught. Joanne Wife-Zilla Webber: Ring the police regarding a crime you will wait at least 24 hours for them to turn up. Christine Rawcliffe: Why am I not surprised, are the Tories going to privatise the police next. Casee Malakian Leigh: Gee I wonder WHY?! Johnny Foley Franks: I’m not surprised with all the publicity about cut backs. Obviously crime will increase if there’s no law. Frank Doherty: We’ve lost £76 million in funding, and 800 police officers in Lancashire. How is this surprising? Theresa May was warned about this when she was home secretary, but Conservatives carried on with their austerity plan. It’s nothing more than mindless ideology. Even the IMF have said austerity plans do more harm than good. Andrew Moxham: Why has it soared? Because when people are caught the courts give them suspended sentences and they leave court laughing till their next crime spree. Paul Kosyl: Cos if us normal people notice there’s no police about... so do the criminals! Not seen a single policeman walking a beat in years. The only time I’ve seen any real presence was when there was a shooting the other year.

BUS lane cameras on Whalley Road to be switched on next week. Roads chiefs want to prevent ‘misuse’ of the lanes by drivers heading towards Accrington (page 21 and website, April 6) Alan Smithee: I thought they were already on. The bus lane was not wanted and is taking up valuable road space. Andrew Moxham: I might agree with you but they will fine you if you go into the bus lane. The bigger problem is that these out of touch people are going to continue the bus lane on Whalley Road and in time into Accrington town centre. These experts say that the bus lane speeds up journey times. It takes about 20 seconds to travel from bus stop to bus stop then through the lights the bus joins the main traffic flow so whatever time they save they lose straight away. This just goes to show how out of touch these people in authority are with the general public and the real world as they sit behind their office desks. Daniel Lord: What amazes me, is the council boast that the bus lane improves safety! Since the bus lane has been introduced, it’s made the driving lanes much narrower, making the chance of an accident greater! Cyclists travelling towards Great Harwood on this stretch are forced into the gutter because the cars are so close to them! Now they say, they want to repeat it all again at the top half of Clayton! Mark Alexander: They put the bus lane in and took up the grass to put tarmac down. Why didn’t they just put bus lane were the grass was and leave the road as it was? Angela Sillitoe: It’s been there ages, what a waste of money and they decide to turn the camera on. Julia Hayden: This bus lane causes more congestion than anything else. Ian Heys: What a waste of money for a bus every half hour, it beggars believe. Daniel Lord: I can’t believe the amount on signage for such a small length of bus lane! All those signs would be better weighed in for scrap! Victoria Louise: Loads of people go in that lane, especially when I’m turning onto Lynwood they just go up the side.

BACKING for new Costa Coffee drive-thru in Accrington. The new café off Hyndburn Road will create 16 jobs (April 4) Stewart HoulkerCollinge: How about ‘instead’ of putting another unnecessary coffee shop in Accrington, focus on the dilapidated town centre which is overrun with poverty, pound shops, charity shops, countless takeaways which look revolting and actually get some investment. Burnley and Blackburn are receiving millions in funding for regeneration projects. (The Mall, Weavers Triangle, technical colleges). Yet Accrington is stuck between the two being allowed to deteriorate. Warner Street was the only decent street with a selection of shops, which now is on the decline too. Accrington has a beautiful centre architecturally, this should be highlighted and used. Never mind paving outside the town hall to make it look pretty and an open social place. It’s just a facade which is trying to cover the problems. Vera Walker: Do we really need this? Kelsie Walker: It’s Costa. Of you we do Asif Mehrban: How about another pound shop? Or a bookies instead? Casee Malakian Leigh: We have a Costa though. Literally 10 minutes from this site.

ACCRINGTON Stanley owner Andy Holt defends decision to buy players McDonald’s after wins. The Football League has asked the League Two pacesetters to explain the scheme (website, April 3) Stanley Man: I would have thought that the FA had bigger problems to sort that this. Could make a great film - The Strange Case of Andy Holt, The FA & Hamburgers. Just unbelievable. Alan Taylor: It’s pathetic, if it was a fashionable club nothing would of been said out of touch completely laughable. John Earnshaw: You should have told the EFL its always raining in Accrington so after the game you buy um a BIG MAC .... Janet Hooley: EFL what a load of rubbish, let the lads have some celebration. Claire Elizabeth Noke: Wow! Some people will literally whinge about ANYTHING. He does something nice and gets stick for it? Mark Evans: Christ talk about picking on the small guys, c’mon EFL I think you have bigger fish to go after. Nicky Baxendale: So what if he buys players a takeaway? No one should be able to tell what you have to eat and what you can’t eat. Karen Allan: He won’t be able to say ‘well done lads’ soon. Someone’s got a case of sour grapes just cos Stanley are top! Melissa Fisher: It’s like reading one of those fake news stories. Alan Smithee: “Payment of additional monies” some people need something better to occupy their minds. EFL get a grip. Sam Leonard: Wow! Crazy waste of time for everyone involved.