I’M sure Mill House and Pickering town residents would like to know, as I do, why our council has allowed the river which runs through the town centre to become such a disgraceful distraction to our town, when it should be an attraction which promotes and offers interest to visitors to our town.

Several coaches every day bring visitors to the steam railway. They stop at the library, and the first sight of our town is the river, which is a total indescribable, disgraceful sight where rats, yes stinking rats not voles, are thriving in the overgrown rubbish on the riverside.

The council provide seats overlooking the river and the Pickering in Bloom volunteers improve the area with the plants. They put on a show, well done.

When you consider the many, many thousands of pounds spent to prevent the town being flooded, the state of the river in the town centre will only help the flood the town, or am I wrong? Please let me know. I only went to Thornton-le-Dale School.

Colin Pickering, Pickering

Come fly with me

RE comment on the noise of planes. Well done Janet Wilkinson, I agree with her.

I love all the planes, big ones, small ones, even the commercial airlines and particularly the police and air ambulance helicopters. They can fly over my farm day or night.

J Poole, Northern Ryedale

Second vote please

J DAVID Write opposes a second EU vote because we had one in 2016. Some Brexit supporters go further and say that such a vote would be “undemocratic”. I disagree.

Anyone paying even a modicum of attention to the debate dominating our political life during the last three years will have learnt a great deal about Brexit and its consequences.

I think we deserve a second chance to confirm or overturn this momentous decision.

Also, I think those young people aged between 18 and 21 now, who were not eligible to vote in 2016 should be given there say. After all, it’s young people who are going to be most affected by Brexit, rather than the older age group that predominated in the leave vote.

Finally, the question posed by a second vote would not be the same as in the first.

Theresa May’s deal, (remember that?), is the only one agreed to by the British government and the EU, and contrary to the claims of all those battling to replace her, will remain so.

Also, we are facing the prospect of cashing out of the EU with no deal. This was never seen as a serious possibility during the 2016 debate.

A second EU vote could offer three alternatives - leave on the terms negotiated by Theresa May, leave without a deal, or remain a member. This would be democracy in action.

By contrast, we are currently witnessing another contest that is certainly not democratic.

The next Prime Minister of this country is going be chosen by the hundred thousand ageing and unrepresentative group that constitutes the Conservative Party membership.

Terry Greene, Norton

Alter the route

RE the junction of Welham Road and the Norton railway junction.

If the local bus service could include Welham Road, it would enable residents in that area to utilise public transport.

Most areas in Malton and Norton are able to use the town bus or the Coastliner, not so for Welham

Road.

This alteration of the route would save car journeys and help to relieve the congestion at the Welham Road and railway crossing junction, and help in a small way to improve the environment.

Also some pensioners would not feel so isolated.

EVM Pope, Norton