'Safety lessons must be learnt'

SIR – The awful tragedy of the London tower block blaze has once again shocked a local community, as well as touching us all across the country.

The bravery of the emergency services has rightly been highlighted again, particularly in this instance the fire brigade, whose officers put themselves in harm’s way.

But the anger of local residents must not be overlooked too.  Because warnings were made by them of safety issues.

And previous fires involving cladding on refurbished tower blocks in Australia, France, Saudi Arabia as well as in this country has highlighted that newly fitted cladding accelerated fires to a large extent. Aesthetically? Perhaps very nice. But already identified in previous years as a danger. So why fit them? They are cheap that’s why.

And that brings us to our own tower blocks in St John’s. Recently refurbished.

If this shows anything, it is that we must look more carefully at health and safety and that saving money does not come first in all things.

Richard Farrell-Adams

Worcester

'A fantastic fire response'

SIR -When  it  comes  to giving, and charity there is none better than the British.

In the aftermath of the terrible tower block fire, ordinary people across the country started collecting food, water, shoes, clothing   anything  to help those that lost everything.  Their acts  of generosity have yet again put the points scoring politicians  to shame.

There  was fantastic community and team spirit  in and around  the area  of  Grenfell Tower, of all those helping co-ordinate the mass  of goods donated.

Fantastic!

B Ellis

Leominster

'A question of negligence'

SIR -It has truly been a most tragic last few days after the inferno in London.   Seeing the smouldering hulk reminded me of 9/11.  There does seem to be some question of negligence on the part of authorities.  There could have been sprinklers and fire alarms.

 It was most unfortunate that Mrs.May did not mix with bereaved members of the public as did Mayor Sadiq Khan and Jeremy Corbyn.  It seemed sufficient to promise an enquiry which could take years to report.

 Her Majesty the Queen once again showed her sympathy with the bereaved.

 Mr. Trump on the brink of possibly being impeached after sacking an official tasked with investigating his behaviour tweeted his comments.

 It is to be hoped that our multi-storeys in St. John’s have been constructed with all safety precautions possible.

Wendy Hands

Upton-upon-Severn

'Worried over safety issues'

SIR - Following the horrific fire in a tower block in London I am deeply concerned about the three blocks of flats in St John’s where cladding has been erected and ‘improvements’ have been made.

The improvements certainly helped, with better faster lifts and an improved exterior, but at what cost to safety of the elderly residents?

During the refurbishments fire doors were often propped open to allow for painting and electrical wiring for several weeks at a time.

Such a haphazard approach to fire safety at that stage makes me worry.

What is to be done when peoples safety is less important than profit?

Martin Groombridge

Brighton

'Man is the biggest pest'

SIR - So many errors in Councillor Ken Pollock’s diatribe against wildlife (Foxes need to be controlled, Letters, June 1) that I really don’t know where to start!

There’s no scientific or moral reason why foxes or badgers need to be “controlled” by humans.

Yes, foxes sometimes do kill chickens etc., but the main threat to the lives of such farmed animals are humans, who kill them in their millions, quite unnecessarily, when we could all be vegan, with all the benefits to other animals, the environment, and our own health that would bring.

There is a woeful lack of scientific evidence for the badger cull, and it is obvious that this is not being done out of any love of cows, who are slaughtered in their hundreds of thousands annually by the dairy industry, when their efficiency as milk producers declines.

Both badgers and foxes kill other wild animals to survive, but they are not a major threat to the existence of any other species, unlike humans, whose activities have resulted in the loss of half the world’s wildlife in the past 40 years.

So the real “pest” that needs to be “controlled” is not the fox, badger etc., but the human species, and, in particular, those humans, like Cllr Pollock, who have no respect for the other animals we share this planet with.

Hopefully, voters will ensure that this unpleasant individual is culled from Worcestershire County Council at the next election!

Isobel Thorpe

Worcester

'Don’t believe jobs claim'

SIR - In respect of objections to a proposed distribution centre at Sixways it says on a sign 5000 jobs coming.

That’s pie in the sky. It does not happen in modern warehouses.

It’s a ploy yo get planners an excuse to grant approval.

Paul Chandler

Worcester