Hedges and ditches help to fight global warming

Published on 15th March 2007 in Letters

Sir - How many people are in agreement with me about loss of hedgerows and dykes and drains? Most people are conscious of global warming and the great need to take care of our planet. Just take a look around a 10- to 15-mile radius of Goole, our local area.

How many hedgerows have been taken up and dykes and drains have been filled in? Here are just a few: King's Causeway, Swinefleet; part of Pollington airfield, Heck and Snaith/Gowdall sides; from Howden to Goole from the roundabout for junction 37 to Boothferry Bridge; the road through Airmyn from the edge of village to Glew's Garage then along main road to the Drax link road roundabout.

Do you not think that all farmers SHOULD be made to put back all the hedgerows and reopen and clean all the dykes and drains that have been filled in? Doing this it will help the environment, as well as wild life and plant life. It will also stop soil erosion and help natural drainage. When farmers replant the hedgerows they should also plant trees into them. Trees such as oak, elm, beech and so on. Doing this will help with carbon emissions and help retain a lot of trees that are fast disappearing from what was our beautiful countryside. I know farmers will say that they need room for their machinery to work but if they put, say, just the perimeters of the field back to how they used to be it would be a great help.

Mavis Thompson

High Street,

Pollington