Your letters on Halloween and e-bikes, plus pupils take on a jet

PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: In 1990, sixth-formers at the Royal Wolverhampton School gave their charity appeal a supersonic boost by pitting their strength against a Jaguar jet. More than 20 pupils joined forces to haul the aircraft 500 yards across the tarmac at RAF Cosford in a strongman stunt. The sponsored challenge was the latest in a series of events being held as part of the teenagers’ annual Lenten Appeal. | Express & Star archive

placeholder image — PICTURE FROM THE ARCHIVE: In 1990, sixth-formers at the Royal Wolverhampton School gave their charity appeal a supersonic boost by pitting their strength against a Jaguar jet. More than 20 pupils joined forces to haul the aircraft 500 yards across the tarmac at RAF Cosford in a strongman stunt. The sponsored challenge was the latest in a series of events being held as part of the teenagers’ annual Lenten Appeal. | Express & Star archive

Your views on keeping animals safe at Halloween, concerns over e-bikes and e-scooters on local streets, and why Britain should turn waste into diesel fuel

Protect animals at Halloween

Halloween is here, and with a few simple tips, we can scare ourselves silly, without spooking animals.

Ditch deadly decorations. Avoid fake webs, which can trap birds, bats and other animals, and never bleach or paint pumpkins if leaving them outdoors – leave them natural as a safe snack for hungry squirrels.

Skip gelatine sweets – a gruesome slurry of boiled-down bones, sinew and tendons – and ply trick-or-treaters with delicious vegan treats instead.

Keep costumes to yourself. Companion animals don’t need to play dress-up to be adorable, and costumes can be uncomfortable, restrictive, or pose a choking risk. Forego fireworks. Keep companion animals calm and secure, and respect wildlife by never setting off fireworks yourself. Remember, too, “ghouls” can roam the neighbourhood on Halloween, and animals – especially black cats – can fall victim to cruel pranks or worse, so keep everyone safe indoors With a few thoughtful tweaks, we can have a frightfully compassionate spooky season. For more information on protecting animals during the holidays, visit PETA.org.uk.

Elisa Allen, PETA

Plague of e-bikes and e-scooters

A ‘plague’ is emerging upon the streets of the Black Country and the surrounding area. The ‘plague’ is comprised of some of the commuters and joyriders using e-bikes and e-scooters as their preferred means of transportation.

Amongst our local towns and villages, the pilots of these devices whizz down the streets on the pavements, weaving around pedestrians, dogs, parked vehicles etcetera with little or no regard for the safety of themselves or for others.

I personally followed one youngster down Brierley Hill Road, Wordsley, recently in my car, driving at 30mph (the speed limit) and I wasn’t able to keep up with this kid who was riding on the pavement upon an e-scooter. It was simply an accident waiting to happen.

What is the point of having imposed 20mph zones around popular public places like schools, if you are able to ride through the very same zone at speeds up to (and most probably higher than) 30mph on an e-bike or scooter with impunity?

The owners of these devices hazardously use the roads and pavements of our streets, yet, pay no road tax, carry no insurance, take no form of test before use, carry no permit of use, rarely have any lights fitted or wear high visibility garments, wear little or no protection and are completely exempt from following any bylaws of road use!

Does it really have to take a serious accident to occur (which is a given in my opinion) for any authority to do anything about this?

To all intents and purposes, these devices are designed to be motorised transport, and, in my opinion should be treated as such by the DVLA.

Name and address supplied

Turn waste into diesel fuel here

We export old tyres and waste plastic to Pakistan, where they are turned into diesel fuel by pyrolysis.

Why cannot we do this in Britain with our waste material instead of giving them to other countries, whilst the price of diesel goes up and up, now over £2 per litre?

W F Kerswell, Picklescott

You can enjoy other pictures from the past and more with our weekly FREE Nostalgia Newsletter - with scores of archive pictures and exclusive features on the history of Wolverhampton, Staffordshire and the Black Country - all sent to your inbox every week. Sign up here

Have an opinion? We want to hear from you.

Share your views by writing to Readers’ Letters at [email protected]

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address. Letters will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity or style.

Do you have a picture from the past to share?

We would love to hear from you. Whether you have an old photograph, need help identifying a street or recognise a familiar face, send your images to [email protected]

Please include your name, where you are from and as much information as possible about the photograph. We will publish as many as we can online and in print.