Excellent service on our railways

OUR railways are often criticised. Last Friday night I was attempting to catch the 20.03 Virgin service from Euston Station to Coventry.

I boarded approx 20 minutes before departure, but was quickly informed that due to a fire near the line at Wembley, the service and all others from the station were cancelled.

Nothing the rail authorities could avoid, it was a Fire Service decision.

Full marks to the Virgin staff who immediately advised passengers of the alternative arrangements.

For most passengers this meant a dash across London to catch a Chiltern train from Marylebone.

Thanks is due also to TfL staff who ‘waived us through’ the ticket barriers at the underground stations.

Chiltern staff at Marylebone were also most helpful to passengers who needed reassurance that their Virgin Tickets would still be valid. Naturally the 20.37 Chiltern service to Snow Hill was rather crowded, nothing the company could do about that.

I got off at Leamington along with about 60 others, where the sole staff member on duty at 10pm did his best to ensure passengers got their final destinations. Finally, no problems in accepting my Virgin ticket on my Cross Country connection.

I arrived home surprisingly only about 90 mins later than planned. Would have been a lot worse without the excellent customer service of all rail companies involved. Credit where credit is due. to see and read about all the beautiful sea-creatures, such as seals, turtles and even whales who are dying a slow agonising death while choking on plastic.

They can’t pull it back out of their mouths, they have no hands like us; once it’s stuck in their throats they have no chance, no one to help.

I would hate to think that I am in any way contributing to their terrible plight.

Which is why I would like to know more about where the plastic actually comes from that ends in the sea.

Coventry, I’m reliably informed (by Alexa) is 92.3 miles from the sea. So how do my plastic bottles get to the sea.

All my bottles and other coverings on meals go in my recycling bin which I hope is recycled.

So, should we the people who live nowhere near the sea be made to feel guilty about the terrible deaths of these mammals?

Yes. I know plastic waste causes other problems and maybe the time has come for a rethink on its general uses.

But you can’t blame the many millions of people in this country who live no where near the sea for the deaths of sea creatures.

Can the authorities not pin point more accurately the real culprits.

For example, is it the people who live on the coast, or the day trippers, or the cruise liners, or maybe the plastic is just washed in on the tide and therefore comes from overseas.

Which would certainly exonerate me and millions more like me who don’t want - in any way - to be blamed for the suffering of these lovely creatures who may take weeks to die after unimaginable pain and stress.

So, can we have more information about whose plastic it is, that ends in the sea. Surely it can’t be mine? M Caine Earlsdon