'Drone shows how inept  our country has become'

Why was it not able to be traced and why was it not detected by our defence system before it caused such chaos?

I, as should many others, despair at the efficiency and joined-up working of our civilian and military forces.

How can we believe that we can detect and destroy any airborne attack on our country if we cannot find a supposed drone over Gatwick Airport, let alone say that 3,500 service personnel will be available to help with the Brexit process?

Scrap all public sales of drones and let’s have a joined up government – a coalition if need be – for our benefit.

Brian Buckley

via email

What happened at Gatwick was an absolute shambles.

Don’t we have radar systems that can pinpoint these drones? If not, why not?

And why weren’t one or more helicopters put in the air with sharp shooters on board instructed to blast the drone out of the sky?

What worries me is that little research may well be

being done to study the effect of such a drone entering a plane’s jet engine.

I’d like to think that at some research centre drones are being deliberately flown into jet engines to study the effect, but I’m not confident that this is taking place.

The intake of birds has been known to stop a jet engine and do considerable damage, so why not a drone?

David Craggs

Address supplied

Volunteer for Barnardo’s

We’d like to urge your readers to make a New Year’s resolution to become part of a team that helps support vulnerable children in your area.

As the UK’s leading children’s charity, we’re looking for people to help us to continue our vital work with disadvantaged children, young people and their families, either by fundraising, volunteering in our shops or volunteering directly with children and families.

By giving us a little of your spare time, you will gain invaluable experience that could provide a stepping stone to a new career or an opportunity to add to your personal statement for college or university.

We also offer a chance to make new friends and have fun by joining the team at your local Barnardo’s store or service.

Volunteering is a great way to build confidence and an opportunity to try new things as well as being good for emotional health and wellbeing.

Our volunteers – who are all ages and come from all walks of life - are given full training and ongoing support.

Our volunteers also have opportunities to gain a level 2 NVQ in a range of excellent courses.

To find out more about volunteering with Barnardo’s, please pop into your local Barnardo’s store or visit the website at www.barnardos.org.uk/volunteering.

Thank you, we look forward to meeting you in 2019!

Diane Pryde

North West Volunteering & Community Engagement Adviser

Road signs

and foliage

How wonderful nature is with its prolific growth of foliage.

Could I please ask councils and highways departments to bear this in mind in respect of road signs?

So many signposts are blacked out by overhanging tree branches or covered with green lichen so as to become indecipherable.

Strangers to an area have to radically slow down to read them, causing irritation to drivers behind them on what appears to be a clear/unrestricted road ahead.

Are speed restriction signs enforceable in law if not legible?

Maybe workers in highway departments could report in with signage requiring immediate attention when clocking on at work.

David H Rhodes

Address supplied

Trump’s made terrible mistake

President Trump is pulling America’s troops out of Syria.

What a terrible mistake.

President Assad of Syria is an evil autocratic ruler who does not tolerate any opposition whatsoever.

He is a person who will encourage international terrorism and endanger the rest of the world.

President Trump has abrogated his responsibilities to the free world.

Mr PL Taylor

via email