Readers' Best comments

Readers weren't happy with the news that home helps looking after the elderly are having to feed them cold meals due to lack of time.

An elderly lady across the street from me has help with supper and getting ready for bed in the evening. The home helps who go in have 15 minutes max to do this. A lot of old folk are just neglected.

Lang Toun Lass

What do people expect, its a basic council service they get for FREE? Maybe if families looked after our elderly they wouldn't have to rely on such a service and stretch its full responsibility and the people that don't have family can gain the time and food etc needed. We don't abandon our children to the social services so why do we as a society abandon our elderly? I work in a "home" and see family members who could easily look after their parents. If you want better care for our elderly and for yourself when you're older you will have to save , because as an ageing population a cheese sandwich is caviar to what delights will be put on my table if I end up needing cared for in old age.

tortohibee, leith

A spokesman said: "There should be no reason why a meal like this is served as half an hour is plenty of time for a healthy and nutritious meal to be prepared and the council has expert dieticians who can advise on achieving this balance."

– Guess he doesn't do the cooking in his house. Considering the home help will have many other duties to attend to on each visit – cleaning and tidying, washing and dressing, actually talking to the client in question for a bit – 30 minutes doesn't give sufficient time for a fresh hot meal to be prepared.

But hey . . . as long as Edinburgh gets its shiny new tram set, all other budget priorities can go to pot.

Skip McClendon

I was a home carer for many years before the changes and find it crazy that time has been reduced. Some clients, depending on ability etc, take a while to get up, washed, dressed etc and 1/2 an hour is not enough in a lot of cases. The carers do the best they can in the time allocated but more time is needed for cooking at least one hot meal a day.

caramel wafer

You are pleased at the news that bollards are to be put up to stop joyriders ruining the pitches at the Jack Kane Centre.

Good idea, but make sure the bollards are close enough together so that not even M/Cs can get past.

The Real Alfonsa Pedrosa

How about a man with a machine gun in a turret at the entrance – that should stop the problem!

Ecto

Good idea, and long overdue. I remember playing on the pitches at the Jack Kane, and you had wee neds driving motorbikes, quads and cars over the pitch while games were in progress – a real danger to the players and spectators. You also used to get wee nyaffs firing airguns at players from time to time. The Jack Kane is a great facility, it's a pity these wee scumbugs are allowed to ruin it for everyone.

Skip McClendon

I've been there every week for four years and Sunday was the worst I've ever seen it. No idea how they managed the damage with a car tyre - it looked like a plough had been through it. More police presence is needed down there.

James Collins