Thank you for help moving car in snow

ON Sunday, December 10, I had the unfortunate circumstance of my car being snow bogged down and sliding to an angular halt at a road junction.

I did have the wisdom of taking with me on my journey a pan shovel. Dig as I might, I could not move my car.

I then had the good fortune of meeting a Good Samaritan, a very polite young gentleman walking to his parents address in Daventry Road. He immediately offered his assistance. He, too, dug and pushed, and between us we straightened the car so it was no longer a road hazard, and left it as the road was not accessible.

I would like to offer my thanks to this young man, and state that his parents have a son they could be proud of. J B Ward Cheylesmore

Private firms are ruining transport

SO the government is seemingly bailing out East Coast train operators with taxpayers’ money. The last time it was taken over by the-then Labour government, it was making a profit – so why return it into private hands, who cry out for help when they cannot make it pay, even with the high fares that are being charged. In my opinion, once private owners take on the task, they become responsible for the financing, not the taxpayer. Virgin and Stagecoach should be banned from operating the train service. In the Midlands, we only have to look at how our bus service is being operated, with at times three or four buses running near together, never on the scheduled timetable even.

The electronic indicators at some of the bus stops do not give the proper readings at times. The other day while waiting at the bus stop, it indicated seven minutes. Then when it came to show ‘due’, no bus came. We had to wait a further ten minutes before a bus came.

National Express is nothing like the old Coventry Corporation or the Birmingham Corporation. I am willing to bet these bus companies are just the same as the railways – running at a loss. It’s just bad management. John Bevan Ernesford Grange

Happy memories of the Locarno

OH what happy memories of the Locarno (Dec 29), so wish we had something like this now.

From going on a Saturday morning to going Saturday nights. I met my husband there and we’ve now been married for over 41 years. Pete Waterman was the DJ when we went, also the revolving stage, how good was that? I remember them selling milk at the bar, which we loved. Then there was the Bali high upstairs, didn’t like that so much, we loved the lovely dance floor downstairs. Would love to watch people dancing in the ballroom from the balcony, think we gave the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool a run for its money. Oh happy days. Feel quite sad when I walk past and see it as the library. Susan Hoult Cannon Park

Hamper was such a lovely surprise

I WOULD like to thank the Heart of England Co-op for the lovely hamper I received which was a lovely surprise.

I also would like to thank my daughter Sharon for nominating me which was also a surprise. Jean Jenkinson Allesley Village

Flat earth made sense at the time

R GOODFELLOW (Dec 29) feels concerned that years ago people believed that the Earth was flat.

The Mappa Mundi, c1300, put Jerusalem at the centre of the circular world.

These events were understandable when you consider their times.

People will look back on today’s times and wonder how social housing has been transferred into the hands of buy-to-let landlords as part of the movement by the Conservative and New Labour political parties for privatisation.

One questions just how much housing benefit is paid to private landlords when this money used to end up in the hands of local councils, who controlled social housing? Fred Foster Radford