Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, I would like to draw attention to a man-made problem along the Esplanade in Broughty Ferry.
The council, in its wisdom, decided to install a barrier of huge boulders to try to protect the coastline from erosion.
So far so good except they seem to have forgotten the natural processes of transportation and deposition.
I noticed during a recent gale that sand is now blowing into Shiel Street, under the old railway bridge and it is also burying the grass to the west of the football pitch. It is only a matter of time until it is lost.
Some of the newly-deposited sand is being washed into drains, blocking them and causing flooding.
The cause of these problems is obvious to anyone standing near the new rock barrier. The area was protected, until recently, by sand dunes with marram grass but that barrier was taken away!
Unless some sort of gale-resistant fencing is installed, the problem will only get worse.
Surely somebody should have thought of that.
J. Greenway.9B The Esplanade,Broughty Ferry,Dundee.
Met criticism was unjustified
Sir, G. M. Lindsay clearly has no knowledge whatever of the Met Office’s website, which predicted the recent high winds with uncanny local accuracy almost a week in advance. Or is that not ‘a significant time margin’?
The Met Office can hardly be held responsible for the garbled and often outrageously misinformed versions of their data peddled by the popular media, which most people simply do not question.
And as regards climate change, that simply isn’t the Met Office’s immediate job, whatever people at bus stops may say.
Ever heard of scientists?
Grahame Miller.Damside House,Friockheim.
Crystal ball and seaweed
Sir, Dr George Lindsay’s letter about the credibility of weather/climate forecasting (January 5) says it all.
If meteorologists could not warn us of the recent storms in good time, how could they confidently manage longer-term predictions over decades and more into the future?
During the Second World War meteorology was known in the RAF as the ”crystal ball and seaweed department”, and despite millions spent on modern technology and computer programs, reliability has not become the rule, even in the short term.
Those warning us of future doom-laden climate change claim that weather is not climate. That’s like denying mercury is a metal because it’s liquid!
Who do they think they’re kidding?
(Dr) Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Road West,Perth.
Need to save town centres
Sir, Town centre shops are closing at an alarming rate and survivors are struggling to keep their heads above water for many reasons, not least the downturn in customer numbers.
Most would agree it is not desirable to have our main shopping streets lined with empty shops. To save the remainder, would it not be possible for local councils to cut or temporarily suspend the business rates they charge?
Empty shops bring in no revenue in any case.
Another measure which would help bring shoppers back into the centre would be to operate a scheme such as that operated by some stores who reimburse parking charges to customers buying goods in town centre shops.
The councils need not give up all their revenue from parking. Half of the money collected in the car parks could be kept by the councils and half paid to the shopkeepers who have made such refunds.
That way, the shopkeepers would benefit from the extra trade generated by free parking for their customers while the council would receive half of the parking fees.
One would presume the chance to shop and get free parking in the centre would attract more customers and more car park users and probably generate as much revenue for the council as before.
George K. McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.