Ignorant people feed seagulls
In reply to the few letters and a recent article over the last few weeks, I have to agree as I have myself been attacked by seagulls many times over the last two years.
The problem is that there are more and more ignorant people deliberately feeding the seagulls. I am living in an area where daily six homes put food out.
Seagulls are aggressive and are so by nature as they live in a violent world at the mercy of the waves and the howling winds along our coastline.
I have had to throw away three pairs of trousers that have been torn by them after being attacked leaving my home and unfortunately disturbing them as they feed at one of the local feeding stations. I have been messed upon countless times as I have gone out and again visitors have also had that pleasure, as has the postman.
The seagull problem is one easily solved and requires no money as it would be self-funding and would guarantee a cessation to feeding the flying vermin.
Eastbourne Homes staff ought to be out in areas where there are many reports and just watch as to where the gulls congregate then get out of their car and walk around a few homes. Once seeing evidence of feeding, for example plates of cat/dog food and large pieces of bread, they ought to hand deliver a polite letter informing residnets of the activity and advising them to stop.
A check a few days later and if there is no change deliver a fine of say £25 and if they are then caught again fine them £50 and anything after that take them to court.
This might be a bit harsh but it is better than hearing news reports of seagulls being shot and injured because people are unable to get any sleep and any reports to Eastbourne Homes leads to the reply of '…well you live in a seaside resort and you must expect seagulls. Perhaps you should consider moving…' as I did.
What is the fascination that people have to feed vermin? Why do they feel that it is a good idea to encourage sea birds to live and breed inland? Why is it that the sickening raucous daily chorus of seagulls is better than the dawn chorus of blackbirds, sparrows and our other native inland species? They may look and see that feeding them helps their young grow big and strong, but again seagulls are not designed to be land lubbers as they have webbed feet, beaks and span, a trait for the ideal sea-going bird.
There is a case of animal cruelty here by feeding the gulls as it is cruel to put them in a position of eating the wrong foods such as bread and cat food as well as people who would wish them harm. If people were to band together instead of just sitting around moaning about the gulls and their incessant screeching and do something practical then maybe we can stop this foul breed of creature from gracing our doorsteps and banging on our doors and make the seagull feeders unwilling to be at their beck and call 24-hours a day with plenty of food that is long term damaging the sea gulls.
The prime word that these ignorant people must see is SEA and they are given the name SEAgulls because they live on and by the SEA, not in town or they would be called TOWNgulls! – N Hewett, Tenterden Close, Langney.

Birds have moved inland
Oh dear, the poor seagulls are being moaned about again.
Yes, these birds have moved inland now. I live in Polegate and we have a few families of them here, but me, being born 60 years ago near the seafront and being brought up with these birds, yes, I still love them.
My family get fed twice or more a day on fresh brown bread, tinned tuna or ham and this year they have raised three lovely youngsters.
I agree they would prefer to live in their own environment but it's us humans that have taken it away by over-fishing and frightening them off the seafront one way or another.
So sir or madam if you live by the sea, or now just away from the sea, you have to put up with our feathered friends, or move.
After all I expect you have moved to Eastbourne from somewhere else, just like the seagulls.
– S Manser, Brightling Road, Polegate.

Appalled at sums of money
I AM absolutely appalled at the huge sums of money that staff collect when leaving under a cloud, ie £105,000 (wow). Astronomical amounts when they leave under all sorts of excuses.
Yet in their wisdom ESCC a year ago denied us elderly and infirm our community bus, taken off the road a year ago as 'we can't afford it'. Somebody is living in cloud cuckoo land, or being rather economical with the truth.
We are the only town in the south which doesn't provide a community bus for the disabled.
We have already suffered the closures of our day centres by social services.
So much for care in the community, it says it all. Keep smiling. – R Graham, (92 years of age and very severely disabled), Upperton Road, Eastbourne.

Reunion of catering college
WE are looking to find the following people, who all attended Eastbourne Catering College in St Anne's Road, in 1980, in the hope that they can attend a reunion. We cannot seem to contact these people:
Paula Staplehurst, Elaine Chesney, Tracey Hollands, Jackie Howell, Penny Richards, Jenny Grey, Sharmain, Kate Milton, Kevin Hall, Colin Brinklehurst and Tim Crook.
If anyone can help please telephone me on 07795 326317. –
M Goldsmith, 15 Pleasant View Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 2UT.

Looking for relatives
I am looking for any relatives of Eric and Shirley Warner, whose parents lived at 1 Vicarage Lane, Eastbourne.
They migrated to Brisbane, Australia, in the 60s, our parents were friends, and I wish to contact them, and Eric's sister Jennifer. I have tried to find them many times as I live in Adelaide. Are there any relatives or friends in Eastbourne who can help me locate them? My parents were Jerry and Doris Halls (nee Duly). – Janet Mills, 36 Sandow Crescent, Coromandel Valle, South Australia, 5051. jimjemmills@netbay.com.au

Outraged at football fee
I am a 15-year-old boy who enjoys playing football with his friends and as there are no goal nets in my local area my friends and I decided to go to Eastbourne Sports Park.
It was not until we started playing that we were told that we had to pay a £1 fee for playing which I found outrageous because we were doing no harm and keeping ourselves to ourselves. We wouldn't have minded if there was a sign but there wasn't so I thought I would write to you and express my view. Also on the same subject, there is nowhere for the teenagers of Old Town to go apart from parks and if it rains we cannot go there. I think there should be some facilities opened for the youngsters of Old Town. Thank you for taking the time to read this. – Peter Clarke, Beechy Avenue, Eastbourne.

Lost car keys on the Downs
I LOST my car key on the Downs recently and wanted to say, through your paper, thank you to those who helped me. A huge thank you to the couple from Old Orchard Road who spent a long time searching and who contacted my family for me.
Another huge thank you to the person who found my key and returned it safely to my car. Acts such as these restore one's faith in people. I was overwhelmed by such honest to goodness kindness. – E Woolgar, Winchester Way, Eastbourne.

A taste of what is to come
Airbourne has given Eastbourne residents the first taste of parking and traffic problems to come. Roads  outside of the existing parking zone were jam-packed. In future we will have traffic chaos not just for four days a year but for six days a week as motorists seek to avoid having to pay to park in the new central zone of Eastbourne. 
It is now some time since the borough electorate's emphatic rejection of the proposed plan but the silence of Nigel Waterson is not so strange after all.
It is the Conservative party both here and at County Hall which wishes to bring in this misguided scheme. Eastbourne Labour Party has
consistently opposed both this one and the previous Liberal Democrat scheme as unacceptable. Dave Brinson, chair of Eastbourne Labour Party, says, "Three of Eastbourne's four Tory
county councillors – including local Tory leader David Elkin, were not
prepared to vote in Eastbourne's
interest in May. They voted against a county council motion to scrap the scheme. How quickly they forget the 'opposition' they voiced in the Town Hall election just weeks before."
As members of the Labour Party we have written to Ruth Kelly, Secretary of State for Transport urging her department to overrule the county council when it comes to adjudication on September 7.
We are not against controlled parking as such, but along with the Chamber of Commerce we believe any scheme must be part of an integrated strategy that includes improved bus services and park and ride facilities.
Charges would also have to be set at a much lower level than is proposed at present.
Taking up the question of local democracy raised by Eric Parrish and Beryl Newsom in the letters column, how is it that this local Eastbourne matter can be decided by a county council committee headed by a councillor (Matthew Lock) who represents a ward in Hastings? Additionally now, the County Hall proposal is against the wishes of our own recently elected borough council. This cannot be right and, were it to go ahead, would send out a very depressing message for local
democracy in this country.
Think again, Mr Waterson and Mr Lock. – Richard Goude, Eastbourne.

Franchise free spaces out
Preparations are taking place to charge residents and visitors to park their cars in the town centre, white lines have appeared on many roads marking out parking bays, all ready for the meters to arrive. Will we all soon be paying to leave our cars in the town centre?
However, the council has two car parks, one at the back of the Town Hall and an underground car park at the council offices at 68 Grove Road, for the use of councillors and council staff provided by the tax payer. Why?
This is a luxury the taxpayer can no longer afford.
Would it not be better for all to franchise these out to a commercial car park company on a pay as you park, first come first serve basis?
Not only would this increase the car park capacity for all that use the town centre and the revenue from this would go to offset any future rise in council tax.
At the local DGH nursing staff now have to pay to park their car on site, even though you would think that it would be essential for hospital staff to park at their place of work.
Parking exclusively for councillors and council staff in our overcrowded town centres can no longer be justified and should come to an end. – G Jenkins, East Dean Road, Eastbourne.

Centurion or comet?
THE tank on Eastbourne seafront has been called a Centurion, which has six wheels each side. As this tank has five wheels I think it is a Comet, with a Meteor Rolls Royce engine. I did my driving training in one of these more than 50 years ago and am fairly sure.
I would be interested in other opinions.
– J Bunce, Westdean, Seaford.