Why sirens in the early hours?
I WOULD like to bring your attention to a problem that is really affecting my sleep, as well as that of other residents.
I recently downgraded from renting a one-bedroom flat in Uxbridge to sharing a house.
It’s a great house, except for just one problem – the Hayes bypass is our neighbour.
The noise from the traffic is one matter, the house does have double glazing, but the noise still comes through.
What makes it worse are the emergency vehicle sirens, full blast at 3am.
Blue lights alone at 3am should be enough to make others aware it’s a police car, fire engine or ambulance. Why the need to blast out the sirens, and change their sound from one to another that penetrates the soul at such a ghastly hour to wake people up?
Then it’s the ‘young bass binners’. They blast the music so loud when they are stationary at the traffic lights that it makes the conservatory windows vibrate.
Then it’s the exhaust pipes that bikes and cars are fitted with to make the loudest noise possible at night or in the early hours of the morning.
The other tenant of my house is a teacher, and she too has been complaining about the noise from police cars etc.
In built-up residential areas, the emergency services should be more considerate to the people sleeping who have jobs to go to in the morning.
As for other local people, it would be interesting to hear if they also experience the issues I have raised.
S DADWAL
Cranborne Waye
Hayes
Question council over care plans
THE first consultation about the closure of the three day centres, and their replacement with Queens Walk day centre for the most disabled in our borough, resulted in a legal challenge by a group of parents, winning the right to a judicial review in September this year (Be open with us on day centre closures, Gazette, August 1).
An interim settlement was reached before then, where the council agreed in an open letter that a second consultation was to be held.
The letter stated that meeting notifications would be given in a timely manner, parents would be provided with copies of their child’s assessments and the council would indicate how many hours per week a buildings-based service would be provided, if appropriate.
Despite this, the second consultation has started with just seven days’ notice. Some parents are so unhappy with their child’s support plan they refuse to sign it, and most are not clear about exactly what service their child will be offered.
We have drafted a short list of questions for parents and carers which I suggest they should insist on the council answering in writing.
A second suggestion is that if parents are interested, a private meeting could be held for the three groups affected by the closure of the day centres: those whose children currently attend; those with relatives no longer allowed to attend, and those who have ‘children in transition’, ie, who could be eligible for attendance in future.
Representatives from relevant third parties would be invited, but not council officers, so people can speak freely.
Opinions would be documented and the results submitted as part of the consultation process.
Please contact me by email, at mr.kevinkelly@yahoo.co.uk, as soon as possible if you would like a copy of the question list and/or are interested in attending a private meeting.
There are only four weeks left before the consultation closes.
KEVIN KELLY
Manor Way
Ruislip
Thanks for bingo night support
THE Brook House ran a bingo night on November 12 to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, at the request of two sisters who are well-known at pub whose mother is suffering from cancer.
They wanted to show appreciation for the amazing care their mother has received from the local Macmillan Cancer Support group.
With great support from our regular customers and friends and family, we had a very successful evening. The bingo was hosted in the lounge bar, with Mark, our witty bingo caller.
We raised an amazing amount of £1,600 on the evening, and would like to express our gratitude to all those who helped in organising and supporting this worthy cause.
GARY GILCHRIST
Licensee
The Brook House
Kingshill Avenue
Hayes
Canal work could help regeneration
I HAVE just read the excellent article in the Gazette regarding the redevelopment of Hayes (see reference above).
I am a recent resident and have moved into the new Arena development by Barratt’s in Hayes.
I moved here for the transport links, which as you mention in your article are very good.
One thing that you may have overlooked is the potential to develop the canalside and beautify the area where it runs through the town.
The local MP started the Hayes Canal Society, which I can find no details about. He had the idea to dig out the partially filled-in Shackles Dock, next to Silverdale Road. This would be an excellent community project to help rejuvenate the area.
It might also be interesting to discuss the various housing developments which are nearing completion – Arena, Holmesgate and the High Point Village, which should bring wealthier residents to the area.
There is also a new stadium being built for the local football club.
One thing that strikes me about Hayes is that it has a problem with litter, which is a great shame considering that graffiti is not such a problem here and is quickly removed when reported.
OLIVER PENN
Via email
n Part three of our Hayes regeneration series is on pages 26 and 27
There should be a Fairey memorial
READING the article on Hayes regeneration, which I wholeheartedly support, a recurring theme came back to me (Hayes regeneration, parts one and two, Gazette, November 7 and 14).
When the last remaining part of the Fairey Aviation office block was demolished a few years ago, I thought, and still do: “Why no permanent reminder of what was there?”
Think of all the aircraft and helicopters designed and made there, by many talented and skilled people.
Most people would think of EMI and music, but what about the work carried out during the Second World War, such as manufacturing radar components, among other vital equipment?
EMI also invented the MRI scanner. How many people know that? History is always about the people who ‘make’, whether they are great, good or just plain humble.
The employees of both EMI and Fairey Aviation really deserve a permanent reminder of what they achieved.
CHARLES YOWELL
Dickens Avenue
Hillingdon
n If you support Mr Yowell’s call for a permanent reminder, contact the newsdesk – details at the foot of the page.
Car wash cards are now useless
RECENTLY, several Total petrol stations in Ruislip changed ownership to Shell.
On the face of it, it’s a benefit to drivers, with newly refurbished petrol stations. However, they seem to have forgotten one little thing which will impact many local drivers.
Total used to sell a rechargeable car wash card. It was possible to load it with up to £24 to get £30 worth of car washes.
When the Total stations became Shell, many people, myself included, found themselves with pre-pay cards that cannot be used.
There is no Total station with a car wash anywhere near Ruislip, or even Slough or Watford.
The staff in the new Shell stations have not been given any instructions on the matter and the Total website has nothing on this.
In any case, nobody is going to drive 10 miles or more to a car wash. Just the cost of petrol would be more than the price of using another car wash locally.
I can only encourage anyone affected to contact both Total and Shell, as well as local trading standards officers. Personally, I am going to do the latter.
I am awaiting replies from both Total and Shell on the matter, as it is no way to treat customers. Refusal to refund the balance on the pre-pay cards, or provide the service paid for, could expose Total to legal action.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED
n Have you had a similar problem? Please get in touch with the Gazette newsdesk.
My thanks for the care at hospital
THANK you, Northwick Park Hospital.
During October, my husband was rushed into the hospital. It was a worrying time, but I found all the staff very kind and helpful.
Any questions I asked of the staff were duly answered and my mind put at rest.
I found the nurses are on the go all the time, and work very hard.
So, to all the staff of Edison Ward, my sincere thanks. To Miss Renton and her team of doctors, a very big thank you.
S ROUSE
Whitby Road
Eastcote
Where have my songbirds gone?
I KNOW there have been reports about thousands of songbirds drowning in the sea from exhaustion on their migration, but what has happened to the birds in my garden?
I usually have robins year-round, tweeting all night. They don’t usually migrate, so where are they?
We have all kinds of birds here, and occasionally a woodpecker too, but nothing at the moment. There’s only silence, and it sounds desolate. Pigeons and crows are feeding, but the little guys’ food goes untouched.
Where are our birds? If they migrated this year, why not in preceding years? Are they all lost at sea?
JANET TAYLOR
Via email
Lorries a nuisance 24 hours a day
I LIVE in Cowley Mill Road, Uxbridge, and we have a shocking amount of lorries going up and down our road day and night (Neighbours shaken by nighttime lorries, Gazette, November 14).
I am woken up all the times, as my little Victorian house vibrates every time one goes by.
Also, we have a weak bridge with a weight restriction that is always ignored by HGVs daily.
DAWN DOUGLAS
Via email
