There are many expats who have been trying to overcome the discrimination over the heating fuel allowance by writing to their MPs and MEPs, with each saying that there is nothing that they can do, try the other. I have invited my MP and the MEP to come and stay in my house during the winter months without the advantage of my central heating on. I live up in the mountains where is snows each year and I have had no takers. I feel badly done-by our government; when I decided to come to Spain I informed all the right departments within the government that I was relocating to Spain. Not like a lot
of people that come to Spain and tell no-one until they have received a pension and their first fuel allowance. Maureen Sayers,
Emailed letter Spanish winters can be cold and it’s unfair that some get the Winter Fuel Allowance while others don’t. But how to make the British government see it this way – there’s the rub (as we rub a little warmth into our frozen hands)!
Mrs Ed Your correspondent, Richard Woods, obviously never had to work very hard for a living and more than likely is an ex-civil servant retiring on a salary-related pension with all the trimmings! The arrogance of such people manifestly ignores how some of us have had to work till we were 65 (in my case 65 and a half) before we could ever contemplate even a basic UK pension (the lowest in Europe), let alone not accept any additions that may be forthcoming.
I hope he is going to hand back his payment this year as he winters here on the Costa. Mike Thompson Ouch! And although this will be of absolutely no consolation, your letter illustrates perfectly the hit-and-miss randomness of receiving the winter fuel allowance out here.      Mrs Ed Leapy Lee labels all Social Services people as ‘incompetent’ and ‘a dangerous band of bitter losers who misuse their powers to the point of criminality’. He goes on to rant that ‘most of them have no families of their own’ and ‘retain dubious sexual preferences’ and ‘take a sadistic delight in breaking up any family’. They (the social workers) apparently ‘allow children to be tortured to death’ and they ‘snatch others from loving homes’. My conclusion, using his rules, is that all column writers for newspapers are ill-informed, homophobic, ignorant, bigoted and just plain stupid. Why? Well; he bases his conclusions about all Social Services people on one incident (involving a Mrs Hessey). Therefore, based on his article alone, it stands to reason that all newspaper columnists are ill-informed, homophobic, ignorant, bigoted and just plain stupid. What absolutely scandalous nonsense that this poor old man is allowed to get away with, writing such bigoted drivel.
There are definitely problems in the child-care side of Social Services in the UK and no change of government alone is going to resolve them, but many who choose the profession are caring, hard-working and overworked individuals (some with families, Mr Lee, and, yes, some are single, some are even homosexual (gasp!) but all are saddled with the same universal problem, the ultimate Catch 22: they are damned if they act and damned if they don’t. And, no, I’m not a social worker, present or past. Phil Naylor,
Mojacar Yours is the clear voice of reason (not that Leapy Lee might agree with all you say!) but it won’t stop the public condemning tragic cases like Peter Connolly’s or ludicrous episodes like Mrs Hessey’s instead of applauding the successes. Mrs Ed On behalf of my late parents I would like to apologise to Leapy Lee for their having fought in the Second World War. The more rubbish I read from the silly ‘Little Arrows’ man, the more I realise he would be so much happier if the other side had won. I’m sure that Britain and the rest of Europe would have been conveniently cleansed of immigrants and criminals and made a fitter place for the likes of old windbag Leapy and his supporters had the Nazi jackboot reigned supreme. Come to think of it, weren’t the Irish neutral during that period? I’d better say no more. Jonathan Allso (age 59),
Valencia Immigrants were reviled in the past: the very Irish you mention in Britain, for instance, or the Spanish in Switzerland who were all looking for better lives and expecting hard work. The majority coming to the UK and Europe are no different today and I’m sure that if we caught Leapy Lee in a good mood he’d be the first to agree.                      Mrs Ed What is it with Donald Bullock of Javea? He’s becoming a large pain in the proverbial with his constant whinging about the veterinary service in Spain. As far as I am concerned, and I know I speak for huge numbers of animal lovers in this part of the Costa Blanca, the veterinary care here is second to none! Recently, my cat Rocky was hit by a car. He spent nine days in San Anton’s veterinary hospital in Guardamar where the total bill for his treatment which included an operation, X-rays, medication, food and the best care imaginable was, wait for it: 298 euros! Had this happened in England, I very much doubt that I would have received much change from £1,500! Might I suggest that Mr Bullock either changes his vet or moves to another part of Spain. Either way, please give it a rest! Ken Turner,
La Marina (Alicante) Reckless kamikaze cats and vets’ bills are inseparable but as we’ve agreed in this column before, Spanish vets are highly skilled and they’re cheap. They’re compassionate too and I know some who are pretty relaxed about prompt payment for outsize bills, too.          Mrs Ed I feel aggrieved that our plaza has been and continues to be cordoned off from access. The final job of connecting the electricity to the lamp-posts was finished before Christmas and thus there is no possible reason (i.e. safety) for continuing to exclude us. To whom does one report an inept ayuntamiento? The ‘Policia Local’ say that we may not take down the rusty wire eyesore ourselves without permission coming from the ayuntamiento. To whom does the plaza belong? The ayuntamiento or the people of the town? As far as many can see, the ayuntamiento is just waiting for a sunny day to invite the local press to take photographs of them saying: “Look at what we have achieved!” The people of the area have come and told me that they agree with me but are afraid to speak out. They are not impressed that they have not been consulted in any fashion, have been given no opening date and this proposed photo stunt is the final insult! Tony May (Antonio Mayo),
Alora (Malaga) You’ve described a classic league match of Team Bureaucracy fielded against The Rest of the World and the result will be announced in the town hall’s own good time. So it was, so it is and so it will be. Meanwhile: patience!          Mrs Ed

MRS THOMAS not stating an area left a bad taste in our own animal charity shop, the Asociacion Protectora de Animales de El Campello. Since then there has been a lot of conjecture and rumour that this incident happened in our shop, and a lot of other shops, I should imagine.

I FIND myself agreeing more and more these days with Leapy Lee, especially with his article about the Saudis, but I have to remind him that British soldiers lost their lives fighting for the Saudis against Iraq, sent over there by Margaret Thatcher who must have some oil shares in Saudi Arabia.

I’d like to thank the Euro Weekly News for providing a consistently good newspaper all year round.  I’ve been in the business myself and know just how hard that is!  Happy Christmas to you all.

FURTHER to my letter which appeared in Edition 1274 of the Euro Weekly News, might I be permitted to comment on your comment? Only a few words: “Ah-HAH! Gotcha at last!” In spite of (or perhaps because of) our differing views concerning the EU, might I take this opportunity of wishing you and indeed, everyone on the Euro Weekly News staff, a very Happy Christmas, and a successful year 2010. Jim Collins, Torrevieja, (Alicante). In turn I would like to thank you and everybody else for contributing to this column over the year especially when they – like you, Mr Collins - know I enjoy a good spat. I look forward to sparring with you all in the coming year! Mrs Ed. HMM.  Your response to Jim Collins’ letter in Edition 1274 says it all!   I quote you: "to hell with democracy."   Now we know why you are happy to see the sovereign rights of member states being eroded - you are not in favour of democracy! E Clapham, Jalon (Alicante). It was only a temporary consignment to hell brought on by elation at Tony Blair’s non-election to the EU presidency, itself a triumph for democracy.  Mrs Ed. I WONDER if there are any more people living here who have found that if you retire to Spain before you are 60 years old you are not eligible to claim winter fuel allowance!  But if you are receiving this allowance in the UK before you retire to Spain, you can carry on receiving it in Spain.  Surely this is discrimination?  Does anybody know where to write to, complaining about this? Anthony Middleton, Address supplied. Take it from me that many readers know where to write to about this and are certain to advise you.  I’ll add my own two penn’orth by suggesting you try your MEP (and yes, Eurosceptics, it will serve some purpose).  Mrs Ed. LUCKY, lucky Jenny, how did you get the heating allowance, by being in the right place at the right time? Isn't there anyone out there who would relish a battle to get the allowance for the rest of us?  Petitions don't seem to be having any effect.  I wonder if the EU would help?  Even if only the over-80s were selected.  I'm nearly 90 and being an invalid all my money goes to pay for carers. I rest my case. Phyllis Walker, Emailed letter. I know from the letters I receive that many people are battling to get the heating allowance for British pensioners.  And, Europhile as I am, I’ll rub it in once more that if there’s a satisfactory solution to this issue it will be thanks to Brussels, not Downing Street.  Mrs Ed. WE WOULD like to express our deepest gratitude to all our supporters who donated items for our Christmas Fayre, which was held at the VillaSol campsite. We would also like to say a big thank you to all who visited the Fayre, made cakes, sold raffle tickets, manned the stalls and worked in the background, in making the Fayre such a resounding success. All together, with your help, we raised 1,290 euros.  Our monies are used to assist local people during difficult times. So, again, THANK YOU! Jan Elders, HELP (International) Benidorm, Three cheers for your association and all the other groups who roll up their sleeves and get down to helping others to weather these hard, stormy times.  Mrs Ed. WITH reference to Sheila Harvey's letter, the EEC no longer exists, it is now the EU. Secondly the abbreviation MP stands for Member of Parliament i.e. in Westminster. No one there can help you. Perhaps Ms Harvey meant MEP Member of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg. Forget it, no one will even answer your letter let alone help you. However, regarding your claim the Junta de Andalucia has an arbitration service and that would be your best opportunity. Get in touch with the Consejeria de Empleo y Desarrollo Technologico in your area and ask for the nearest office of CMAC (Centro de Mediacion, Arbitraje y Conciliacion). You will have to fill out a claims form stating how much you are owed. Proof will be essential. You will be given an appointment, date and time on which you must return. Your employers will also be notified and must also attend or send their representative. The case is then argued out before (I think) two adjudicators. If your employers admit they are in the wrong, they will have to pay you there and then, no monkey business about going to the bank to get the money and pay later. Good luck! What tricks businesses here have up their sleeve I do not know e.g. bankrupt, credit crunch problems.  The ways of God are indeed mysterious but just how any business functions in Andalucia is a far greater mystery and one which so far no one, as far as I know, has fathomed. Charles Butters, San Pablo de Buceite (Cadiz). Marvellously lucid advice!  But why knock Andalucia?  It had universities when Brits were still daubing themselves with woad.  Mrs Ed. ON November 29 my wife and I travelled to Benidorm Palace in order to enjoy the Benidorm Has Talent Finals.  After paying 20 Euros each admission charge we located our seats in order to enjoy an evening of local amateur entertainment. The singular thing that spoilt the evening were the comments made by one particular judge who in my opinion had no right to say the things she did as to personal attributes of individual contestants. It was a cheap remark to comment on a contestant’s suit (this was maybe the only suit he possessed).  Maybe she preferred he entertained naked? Mick Allen, Emailed letter. Anyone who performs for the public has to be prepared for criticism, however cruel it might appear to the audience.  Fame and success require more than raw talent and there are other important ingredients, too: ability to take, and learn from, personal and professional criticism is one of them.  Mrs Ed.   I FEEL that I must again leap to the defence of poor old Reg Gibson and defend him against the people who write such horrible things against him. They appear to be hot tempered and it makes me wonder if they are as bad tempered with their pets. Everyone should be allowed pets but also everybody else should not be troubled by these pets, barking, dogs’ mess etc. I would have thought that anybody who needs five dogs is lacking in something and should register and pay taxes for running a kennel. To finish, would it not be a good idea impose a tax on dog owners to help pay for the clearing of their pets’ mess? David Hamilton, Alicante. What neither you nor Reg Gibson appreciates is that people who own five dogs are the very ones who clean up after them and care for them so well they have nothing to bark about. There’s nothing lacking either in themselves or their lives – they are merely fortunate enough to have enough love in their hearts to be able to spare some for pets as well as their fellow human beings.  Mrs Ed.

Tell Leapy Lee that the PC lot were around long before Lonnie Donegan’s day. Being ancient, he probably remembers Marie Lloyd, (1870 – 1922), and in particular her song “I sits among the cabbages and peas.’ The PC brigade, called “moralists” back then, objected.  Marie accepted their concerns and from then on sang “I sits among the cabbages and leeks.”

Oooh Mrs Ed! I'm a bit disappointed in your response regarding my comment concerning Leapy Lee's biased rant about non-smokers and bars. Spain may well have "stringent" non-smoking laws but, as you well know, having stringent regulations and implementing them stringently, are two entirely different things. Do you honestly believe that if the law were properly administered, all the bars and restaurants would be empty? True, they might see a dip in the short term but long term their customers would live longer and, ultimately, businesses would benefit- it's all about planning!

Once again I see that VR Kenny has resurfaced in Edition 1266. Firstly I have lived in Spain for many years, always working for Spanish and English companies with contracts so I have been fortunate when taken ill to have the advantage of the great Spanish health service. Maybe he means temporary work for one or two days.

I would like to relay another scam to your readers. On September 9, my phone was not working so I contacted Telefonica on 1004 and reported the fault. The person I spoke to said an engineer would call.

You printed a letter from G Potter, Alicante on the subject of dog’s peepoo. People have a dog or cat and it is normal for them to go to the toilet. Having an animal is big business: licences, food, vets’ bills, tagging and people cleaning up the peepoo, plus the very great danger to people’s health.

Maybe I am getting paranoid about the exchange rate because it seems to me it is deliberately being kept low for the benefit of the banks, big business and the people trading in Europe. Just over two weeks ago the exchange rate touched 1.18 euros to the pound, and today 1.14. What caused this?
I still say that the biggest enemy of us ex-pats is Mervyn King of the Bank of England. It was he that went on TV just over two weeks ago and berated those people who were selling the UK as a country coming out of recession with a bright future just months around the corner. For God’s sake if any business or country is having a hard time you don’t try to recover to better times by saying there is no hope. Tom Hawksworth,
Santopetar (Almeria) I’m not sure about the conspiracy theory – after all, the euro is stronger than the pound. All the same, whistling in the dark is preferable to waiting for someone to turn the light on! Mrs Ed. We have just returned from Mallorca and never fail to be delighted by the beauty of Spanish hotels with their marble floors and excellent design. Britain could learn a great deal from Spain about how to build attractive buildings and keep them so clean. Spain could also learn from UK on safety. For instance, public steps should always have a line in a contrasting colour along the edge of each step, to make sure they are clearly visible. Too often in Spain it is not easy to notice unexpected steps in shops and hotels etc. The simple measure of marking the edge of steps could prevent many broken bones! Ann Wills,
Emailed letter On my own particular stretch of the Costa most steps are meticulously marked – but of course it only needs one that isn’t to trip you up, I suppose! Mrs Ed. I agree wholeheartily with Paul de Vries’ comments. I have been here four years after being transferred by an international company to their Spanish branch, then being made redundant. Since then finding a job with a correct, liveable salary, a correct legal employment contract and any chance of advancement is impossible. It doesn’t exist here. I have since worked with a company who took my commission and turned them into a nomina, paying the minimum wage. I left. Told I had a part-time contract, with social security and commissions never paid, I left. I worked as an ‘autonomo’ for a company who laid the law down and hired and fired as they thought fit; I sued. The last attempt, I have a job; after three months I have a three-month, part-time contract with the minimum wage and the commissions have to go ‘off-shore’, I’ve been told. I don’t want black money, or to work illegally either. Like everyone else in my situation, we want to work, need to work. We have the education, experience, languages and references to work but everywhere you turn you wonder if it’s legal or not and how long you’ve got. Not everyone is willing, able and prepared to go to the ferreteria and buy a ladder, bucket, squeegee and chamois leather, as Alan F Foster suggested in his disgusting letter in Edition 1262. My daughter of 24 also has two jobs and works long hours. That’s not the point and certainly no realistic encouragement. I’m sure Paul doesn’t sit on his hands and let the rest of us support him. Has Mr Foster any idea of unemployment benefits here? Probably not. Obviously he hasn’t stood outside Lidl with five euros in his pocket this year and wondered how he was going to feed his family! We all want a job with a correct contract, with a liveable wage and pay our social security and taxes. Trying to survive in this greedy, corrupt, bent environment is more than a challenge. Employers here get away with total abuse of their employees in every way. My husband and I can’t wait to leave. Name and address supplied It would be trite to react to your letter with a comment like ‘bad luck’ but Spain is in recession – and it’s not only ex-pat employees who can have bad luck and get a rough deal. Mrs Ed. I feel that I have to reply in support of Derek Holley whose comments on the EU are correct. I find it amazing that your reply was so glib and off-handed. He was merely pointing out that the EU is fast becoming like China and Zimbabwe, if not worse. Perhaps it is time that you made an in-depth study yourself and stopped looking at the EU through rose coloured spectacles. Your response was typical of the attitude ‘don’t confuse my opinions and what I read in the newspapers with the real facts’. The babyboomer era, and it’s off-spring, are particularly self-centred, ‘me-me’ generations who are quite content to leave the next generation with the mess they have created as a consequence of their apathy and disinterest in politics. Thomas Jefferson put it very aptly: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilisation, it expects what never was and never will be” and that describes nations today. If anyone took the trouble to read the Lisbon Treaty they would be hard-pressed not to concur with Mr Holley. Name and address supplied Glib and off-handed I may have sounded but I found Mr Holley’s comparison of the EU with China and Zimbabwe entirely frivolous. The EU has its faults but I think most of us – with the possible exception of Mr Holley and yourself – would be happier throwing in our lot with Brussels rather than Beijing or Harare. By the way, my apologies for brutally truncating your letter, but had we not done so it would have occupied most of this column. Mrs Ed. I saw a letter from one Jim Fryatt of Orihuela, Alicante, in the Euro Weekly News this week. That couldn’t possibly be THE Jim Fryatt, former striker extraordinaire and one of my heroes from the late 60s with his 28 goals in 44 games for Stockport County, could it? He of the Deadly Duo striking partnership with Bill Atkins? Would just like to know. Graham S Hall
Estepona (Malaga) No doubt Mr Fryatt will let us know – personally I wouldn’t be surprised, as he’s always trying to score goals off Boadicea, too. Mrs Ed.

Can I take it from your response to my letter regarding animals in restaurants that you are yourself a dog owner? Well, the day that we put animals before children, as you seem to in your answer, will be a very sad day for us all but I fear it’s not far away. It would be a sad old world without children but without dogs we may breathe fresher air and cleaner streets.

The beaches in Vera Playa have a bigger problem in the area between the Hotel Vera Playa and the Hotel Zimbali than those already mentioned by others.
Fishermen come from as far as Murcia, fishing in the bathing area and leaving all their rubbish on the beach, including discarded lines with baits and hooks.

I must make a note of looking under tables at the restaurants that I use now. If ever they allowed a dog in where I was going to eat, I would leave at once; there is no place for them either in bars or restaurants, just as they can’t enter food stores. What next? These dog lovers will soon want them sitting at the table. A dog needs to know its place and it’s not in eateries. They make enough mess as it is on our streets.

Can I re-correct Bernie Metcalfe from Chester’s letter, which is a correction of a previous letter regarding the counties of Merseyside and Cheshire? Bernie says Liverpool is in Merseyside, Lancashire. This is in fact incorrect. Merseyside and Lancashire are two different counties. Liverpool is in the county of Merseyside, Lancashire is a completely different county. Val,
Murcia (formerly from Merseyside) Live and learn, Val – and thanks for the geography lesson!  Mrs Ed I know that you have to sometimes edit letters but I do believe that mine about my electricity being cut off had one very important line edited out. Even though I offered to pay the bill, this was to pay it again just to get my electricity back on again and sort it out later - not that I hadn’t paid it. I wouldn’t like your readers to think I was complaining about being cut off after the bill hadn’t been paid when the bank had actually paid it. Mick Scarles Glad to put the record straight – but do remember that the longer a letter, the more likely it is to be edited and/or cut. Mrs Ed Like Cliff Cushing, I too regret the loss of the NIE card. Mine will run out at the end of this year. You suggest that a notarised photo-copy of our passport is acceptable for identification purposes. On the other hand, my plastic Spanish driving licence has all the details that my NIE carries except for my thumbprint! So I’m hopeful that this too could be a good substitute. What do you think? Trevor Gould,
Benalmadena (Malaga) Producing a Spanish driving licence for identification purposes sounds a great idea but I suspect that its acceptance could occasionally depend on mood and mien at the receiving end! Mrs Ed I cannot understand people who want to turn the clock back and make us have residencia cards again. We have lived here for 19 years and have always tried to be legal. We applied for residence on arrival, took out medical insurance, registered for income tax and exchanged our UK driving licences for Spanish ones. When we got our cards, we registered for the padron at the town hall. However, we dreaded having to get down to Torremolinos police HQ every five years at some ungodly hour to queue up for hours, then return in some weeks’ time and do the same for fingerprinting, finally coming back yet again months later to pick up our card. What a relief no longer having to do that! All I need now is my Spanish driving licence, which has my photo, date of birth and signature on it and almost anyone who wants a residencia must also need, by law, a driving licence. So what’s the problem? John Attenborough,
Benalmadena (Malaga) Nobody regrets not having to go through the five-yearly rigmarole you describe but many of us miss not having a handy identity document, and not everyone has a UK or a Spanish driving licence. Mrs Ed A lot has been said through your paper on the subject of dog poo in the streets, but I would also like to comment on dog pee. Around where I live, it is almost impossible to look out of the window and not see at least two or three dogs out for their daily peepoo. Yes, I agree: don’t blame the dogs, it’s the owners’ fault. They let their dogs pee up against anything, back doors, front doors, cars, bikes, etc, and I think if we stand still long enough, they may pee on us, too. The stink that it brings, especially in summer, is awful. I think the only solution is to ban people from owning dogs in built-up areas, especially those living in flats. If you live out of town with your own land, fine. Then, perhaps, we will be rid of pee-stained walls, lampposts, etc, and have sweeter-smelling streets. G Potter, Alicante A old Spanish remedy to stop dogs from cocking their legs was to sprinkle sulphur on pavements and walls, but I’ve not seen it done for years. Does anyone know why? Mrs Ed My wife received a letter on the July 23rd telling her, in what can only be described as brutal terms, that her pension had been stopped as from the July 13 and that ‘there is no right of appeal against this decision’. Attached to the letter was a Life Certificate which, if not returned, duly witnessed, signed and stamped by September 12 could result in their decision to ‘end your right to benefit’. Apparently the Pensions Department have sent out hundreds of thousands of these forms. They seem to feel that there must be wholesale abuse among ex-pat pensioners with hundreds continuing to collect their deceased spouse’s pension after failing to notify Newcastle of their demise. My wife’s letter was attached to a Life Certificate Form dated from April and stamped as a duplicate. Apparently the original was sent out then but never arrived and by definition it was never sent back. The pensions people clearly have no idea of the vagaries of the Spanish Correos and, that being so, I was clearly a benefits fraudster. Thus began a horrendous communications exercise. Seven telephone calls to Newcastle to try and get assurances that my wife’s August pension payment would be made. Waiting in for return calls which never took place. Long discussions with ‘more than my job’s-worth’ civil servants and finally, on the last day on which a decision could be made, an agreement that the stoppage would be lifted. If you receive one of these forms, complete and return it quickly and insist that you are informed of its receipt. Attach a message protesting at the discrimination aimed at ex-pats. If you find yourself in a similar position to my wife’s, keep on pushing until you get a satisfactory answer. Lindon Dove,
Zurgena (Almeria) I’ve heard that outsourced DWP letters are often sent from places like Manila and although this is possibly an urban myth, it could explain why they take so long to arrive. Mrs Ed I never thought that I would ever write a letter to you agreeing with anything that your correspondent Reg Gibson had written but at long last I feel that I have to. In the past I have read his letters and thought that he must be a clone of Victor Meldrew and Leapy Lee all rolled into one. However, I do agree with his comments about the prices charged for British papers sold in Spain. Well done, Reg, perhaps you will get something right again one day. David Hamilton It just goes to show that anything can happen in this column, and occasionally does! I get the feeling that you’re damning faintly with praise, although I suppose that’s marginally preferable to outright criticism. Mrs Ed Letters for Dear Mrs Ed should be emailed to mrsed@euroweeklynews.com, posted to Euro Weekly News, Calle Moscatel 10, P-62, Polígono Industrial, Arroyo de la Miel, 29630 Benalmadena, Málaga, Spain, or sent by fax to 0034 952 440 887. All letters need to be accompanied by a full name, address, passport or NIE number, to be considered for publication, although name and address can be withheld upon request.

As expats, our worst enemy in Spain is so often our local media, particularly where they jump on to some matter or other and without any proper research then publish wholly inaccurate information.

To add to your advice on passport copies, it isn’t necessary to have the passport authenticated by a notary, just go to your local town hall. They will copy it, use their official stamp and charge about one euro. I had Fuengirola town hall do just that for me. The main information on your passport, photo and readable code can be reduced to a laminated credit card size. I use it all the time and have even been allowed into Gibraltar after showing it, when I had forgotten my passport. Gerry Gregory,
Emailed letter Worth knowing – and reassuringly cheap, too.
Mrs Ed   I would give my full support to the introduction of a plastic residencia card for those who want one. It is inconceivable in this day and age that somebody from another country can create so much mayhem by appealing to Europe. Whoever did this wants sending back to their native land. I tried your suggestion of using a photocopy of my passport and was told they only accepted originals. The article about jute bags brought music to my ears, we have bought our own bags when on one of our few visits to England. The shops think they are great, I might add that they are Spanish shops. Can you, through your excellent paper, start the ball rolling on both of these issues? Philip Bradley,Emailed letter This appears to be a question of geography, as you will see from the previous letter, and clearly there are no uniform national guidelines regarding passport photocopies. One thing I do know, however, is that even where copies are accepted, they must first be stamped and authenticated. Mrs Ed There was recently a small news item regarding a chimp escape at Chester Zoo, near Liverpool. Just for your information, Chester Zoo is actually in Chester, which is nowhere near Liverpool, which is, in fact, ‘over the water’ in Merseyside, Lancashire, while Chester is in Cheshire! It’s a bit like saying Torrevieja, near Benidorm. Bernie Metcalfe,
Chester, Cheshire Congratulations, Mr Metcalfe – you’ve just won an honourable mention in our intermittent Spot the Deliberate Mistake competition!          Mrs Ed

Oh missus! I was amused by Carole Lee’s account of her experience on the beach. I use a beach nearly every day which is variously described as ‘free’, meaning clothing optional and nudist. Anyhow, it is used by families with children and there are indeed no clothing restrictions. I once saw two men ‘making the beast with two backs’ (Othello I.i.117) in the middle of the beach in broad daylight while people, some with children, passed by paying them scant attention.
I have also seen a Guardia Civil car hopelessly bogged down in the sand which was eventually hauled out by the council tractor, which is itself a frequent visitor. Roger McCutcheon,
Torrevieja (Alicante) Well bless my soul! It just goes to show that all those rumours aren’t far-fetched: anything can happen in Torrevieja (and often does).          Mrs Ed

I write in response to Carole Lee on the subject of banning naturists from beaches except where they have permission. Her ignorance is outstanding. Does she not know public nudity is legal on any beach in Spain and she and the Guardia Civil are powerless to stop it? A few years ago naturists marched along the beach to demand their rights, as textiles tried to shorten the beach and ban naturists using part of it. I also object to the comments made that they have their own beach and we have ours and some line should be drawn in the sand or, worse still, a fence erected to keep naturists in. As Carole Lee chose to live in Palomares she should have done her research before moving here. Does this mean that when she visits (her) beach she only ever turns left and uses the part that is well known locally as a pick up area for gay men and the use of the local woods on (her) beach for casual sex? This is something that all of the naturists I know find distasteful. I hope she enjoys her beach now that she is enlightened as to what happens there. Maybe she would care to pop down to ours and enjoy good company with honest free-living individuals? Richard Andrew,
Vera (Almeria). And there was I, thinking people just went to the beach for sunbathing, paddling and picnics!              Mrs Ed

Your article ‘Drink Driving Clampdown’ is misleading. It states that a Spanish motorist who consumed two glasses of beer had not eaten breakfast and that his ‘two drinks on an empty stomach proved that little bit too much’. This implies that eating food prior to consuming alcohol will reduce your breathalyser reading. It does not. Eating food may reduce the rate at which alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream. The roadside breathalyser measures the amount of alcohol contained in the breath, not the contents of the stomach. Similar stories about drinking a pint of milk prior to a night on the tiles are false. Milk, being alkaline, may help to reduce stomach acidity after a heavy night but in no way affects breathalyser readings. Chris Dunnington,
Benissa (Alicante) Now that’s what could be described as sobering information.          Mrs Ed

When I read your article on fines for shouting etc, I was surprised by what you could be fined for. I have a problem with my neighbours’ dogs on both sides. One neighbour has three dogs and the other has one very big dog with a big bark.
On several occasions I have asked them to please shut their dogs up, as I can’t enjoy sitting in my own garden. Also, I’d like to sleep all night, but it is not to be. We now find ourselves wanting to sell the villa. We have asked the Local Police if there is anything we can do and have been told two different things.
One, you call them each time this happens up to three times. The third time they can take the dog away. I do not want this to happen; I just want then to have respect for their neighbours. The second way is to go to the town hall, tell them the problem and fill a form in.
Sounds easy, I thought. So we went, but the problem then is that they said they would send an inspector down to listen for themselves. That’s all very well but if for some reason they are not barking they cannot do anything. Back to square one.
Is there anybody out there who has had the same problems and solved it? Please help. Mandy,Emailed letter It’s been some time since we’ve had a letter like yours, Mandy, but we’ve had many in the past and advice, plus solutions, did not take long to arrive. I’m pretty sure that it will happen this time, too.
Mrs Ed

A RUSSIAN warship preparing for a holiday celebration accidentally fired a dummy artillery shell into the courtyard of an apartment building. Nobody was hurt but the shell’s impact broke windows and left a small crater outside the building.

We all know that Boadicea is a republican. That being the case why doesn’t she just ignore the Royal Family and write about something else? If she can’t then she is a sad old lady.

You don’t have to look far to see the impact of the global economic crisis, with many businesses here and overseas closing daily. In view of this, many of us have to make concessions, myself included, but I do realise that this year the majority of holidaymakers have less disposable income than in previous years.
However, what I do strongly object to is the influx of illegal street traders we are besieged with...

In response to the two queries regarding non-resident tax that Mr Trevarton and Mr Ball asked about in your paper, I would like to point out that if you owned a property from January 1, 2007 to January 31, 2007, then you would need to pay both wealth tax and income tax for each tax-year that you owned a property.
The Spanish Government has abolished the wealth tax part from 2008.      

I read the letter and answer from Connie regarding leishmaniasis with interest. If Connie reads this letter there is a lot of good and full information on the internet, one only needs to type in leishmaniasis to find that there are many sites. I have a dog that has always had all the best protection one can give. I live in a first-floor flat with no garden to be let out into, so the dog is only taken out for walks on a lead.

My neighbour and I are intrigued by the clubs that we drive past from time to time. Would any of your readers know the procedure in visiting these places and the cost of drinks, etc?

Recent letters published in The Euro Weekly News make sober and sometimes depressing reading. Although the UK and England in particular are in a seemingly chaotic state from judiciary down to the local authorities, some real, positive news is to be found.

Please find below my suggestion for fixing Britain’s economy.  Instead of giving billions of pounds to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan. You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan: