Letters: Seaside dwellers are set to be clobbered by beach tax

A passing tourist may not object to paying the fee once or twice as part of the overall cost of his holiday, but locals will be clobbered over and over again throughout the year.

An unwanted side-effect could be that instead of the car parks, drivers will park their cars in neighbouring roads to the annoyance of residents.

Jenny Mollison, Inveresk Village, East Lothian

NHS workers are doing a grand job

I REFER to your article about pain control in NHS Lothian (News, July 30).

I have just undergone surgery at the ERI, and I can say that the acute pain team visited me regularly and my pain was kept under constant review. Pain relief from the nursing staff day or night was never a problem.

I also attend the chronic pain clinic at the Western General and I can say that the treatment I have received from them is second to none. There is no doubt that there are pressures on resources, but they are doing an excellent job.

Stephen O’Connor, Winton Close, Tranent

UK is tied into Euro debt union

WHY is the UK a member of the European financial stability mechanism? This commitment obliges us to bail out Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Greece.

The decision not to join the euro but to be part of its debt union is a curious one.

Bailing these countries out is costing billions of pounds, and none of these countries can pay it back.

We the people are suffering in the UK, so why were we not asked about it? I will tell you why. The decision to join the Euro debt union was taken by none other than Alistair Darling, the Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The UK will remain in until 2014 when the financial stability mechanism ends.

So Labour has cost us billions of pounds and it will go on.

Just think what this country could have done with all that money. But what gets me is people still vote for Labour, It’s like turkeys voting for Christmas, and yet still more idiots will vote Labour. God help us all.

J Hill, Stenhouse Avenue, Edinburgh

Staff playing part in waste removal

I WRITE in response to the letter of July 31 from Linda M Caine (“Clear rubbish mess up by giving bags of assistance”).

Food waste recycling is a key component of our drive towards making Edinburgh a Zero Waste city and we are immensely grateful to all those residents who aare lready using the service.

In order to make it as easy as possible for even more residents to adopt the food waste recycling ‘habit’, we’re pleased to announce that as well as using compostable liners and newspaper to wrap food waste we can now accept food waste wrapped in old plastic bags.

By using the complete range of our recycling services, the vast majority of people’s waste can now be diverted from landfill which in turn reduces people’s need to buy bin bags for household waste.

In reducing the amount of household waste sent to landfill we are not only keeping our city green and clean but also reducing the cost of disposing of waste, meaning that there are more funds available to invest in improving your local services.

Our staff are ready and willing to respond to any queries residents may have in the run-up to the start of the new arrangements – to get in touch, please contact 0131 529 3030 or email [email protected].

Councillor Jim Orr, Vice Convener of Transport, Infrastructure and Environment

Tears over killing of cat in house

I WAS in tears and deeply upset when I read how vile, cruel burglars killed a cat as they ransacked a Midlothian man’s house (News, August 2).

David Christie returned home to his flat in Loanhead to find his beloved cat had been hanged by the tail.

Absolute shame on the wicked scumbags for this heinous, appalling crime.

June Fleming, Hercus Loan, Musselburgh, East Lothian