Trattoria Verde 'shout out' among nine Essex Echo letters

Give old school Italian restaurant a try

I read in the Echo letters’ page about a contribution praising the Spaghetti Junction restaurant in Westcliff. I was particularly struck with the description “old school Italian restaurant”. 

I know what that means - massive menus with vast amounts of choices and, if you choose a meat dish, you get a bowl of veg and saute potatoes.

Can I give a shout out for Trattoria Verde at Thorpe Bay rail station. It’s very much “old school Italian” but is offers beautiful food at great prices. The garlic bread with cheese is particularly good and the pizzas are amazing. Also friendly service. Give it a go!

A RAMSAY

Leigh

Bakery is a blast from the past

I happened to be shopping in Thorpe Bay Broadway and Home Made Bakery caught my eye.

There I found bread pudding! Like my nan used to make. What a beautiful blast from the past.

C SINCLAIR

Westcliff

'Windrush line will be in the wrong place'

Transport for London has recently decided to name one of its Overground lines “Windrush” because of the level of residents with Afro-Caribbean heritage in the boroughs the branches pass through. 

Having spent my 1950s/1960s childhood living in Wandsworth this is familiar territory to me.

However, the only rail line that truly deserves for its historical connection the moniker “Windrush” is the Tilbury Loop of our local LTS railway. 

Sadly bereft of its original internal landing stage station which us older residents can remember if only for the ferry connection to and from Kent (although the shed still survives), it is still in heavy daily use for both commuting and freight.

If only we were part of TFL’s Overground network – physical connection is possible – it would bring many transport advantages to Thurrock’s residents. 

Stations would have to be upgraded – which sadly reminds us of the Stanford-le-Hope interchange shambles of our borough’s present administration.

It will soon be the 60th anniversary of the 1965 Local Government Act  that expanded London to its current 32 boroughs. We have not really been “Essex” for decades now so perhaps we should become a new London borough.

Sorry, TFL, but on this one you have made the wrong choice.

MIKE COBB

Stafford Close, Linford

Thousands rely on Talking Newspapers

In response to the article in Tuesday’s Echo, “Essex has 5,000 visually impaired people”, I should like to point out that Talking Newspapers are a lifeline to the Visually Impaired. 

They record all the local news that is particular for their areas and send it out in audio format every week to keep their Listeners informed. Some even provide a magazine and useful information. 

There are several Talking Newspapers in Essex, all operating independently for their particular area, for example Wickford, Basildon and Billericay, Castle Point, Southend, Thurrock, Chelmsford and more.

Go to Talking Newspaper Federation website to find out more. We are the biggest secret that no one has heard about unless the need occurs. Let’s make that change.

Some of those 5,000 will already be listeners but let’s make it known to the ones who are not receiving it. We have been told that it changes people’s lives and gives them conversation and discussion points back.

SALLY WEB, Noak Bridge

Chairman of Wickford, Basildon and Billericay Talking Newspaper

'Dogs can upset children on beach'

I am both a parent and a dog owner. I fully understand why some wish to walk their dogs on the beaches all year round, as opposed to just off season as we have at the moment. 

The issues with this are manyfold. Whilst I’m certain there are many responsible dog owners, it’s those who are not that cause the issues. 

Firstly, if dogs and families are aloud to jointly use the same beach space, dog owners invariably allow their dogs off the leash to run free. This in itself causes problems. Firstly, whilst many mean no harm, dogs have a propensity to run up to children in a state of excitement, this causes significant stress and harm to the children and the parents, who become frightened as they have no idea if the dog is safe or not. 

The other issues is the hidden gems the dog leaves behind in the sand, as they use the beach as a giant kitty litter box. Those families playing on the beach can then inadvertently discover these whilst playing in the sand. Whilst I’m certain many responsible dog owners do clean up after their pet, a lot don’t. 

This also has a significant impact on Southend’s Blue Flag rating we have for our beaches. So while I sympathise as a dog owner, it just isn’t possible or practical to allow dogs on the beaches all year round.

KEVIN BUCK

Southend cabinet member for highways

'Recycling bags lead to more littering'

I’ve noticed a marked increase in street litter blowing around Basildon recently. 

This is because the recycling containers (bags) are insecure and awkward to use. In high wind paper items especially are blown out of the bags, and when the bags are emptied items spill out onto the pavement. 

It’s not the fault of the collectors, it’s the fault of the design of the bags. Whose idea was it to use them? If you watch the recycling being collected you’ll see exactly what I mean.

RICHARD BALE

Via email

'Council should focus on pavements'

After reading report in the Echo on a proposed scheme to employ people to clear dog mess and fly tipping, I would have thought the council would have started by repairing pavements throughout the city.

While dog mess and litter will not look nice and create a mess it will not cause the accidents and injuries that broken pavements do.

Hundreds of people fall and hurt themselves every day and many end up in hospital and have long term disabilities.

Southend Council, get your priorities right.

Neighbours could help by reporting people who let their dogs mess and people who drop litter.

Only the Council can repair pavements.

JILL ALLEN-KING OBE 

Silversea Drive, Westcliff

'Sad to hear of Jill Allen-King's guide dog passing'

I, personally, am sorry to hear that Jill Allen-King’s beloved guide dog has died. 

From reading her letters to the Echo and articles about her, we all learned of the affection between Jagger and her owner that was built-up over the past 11 years.

I, too, had a black Labrador, called Jazz, who died a few years ago and her ashes remain buried in my garden. She was so inseparable from our family. She had been with us for 14 years – a long time for such a large dog.

I hope that she finds another guide dog soon so that she may once again gain her independence, and once more we shall start to be reading those insightful letters to the editor.

VIN HARROP

Rosslyn Road, Billericay

'More parking fees will hurt residents'

Having seen the amendments from Southend councillors and the previous budget ideas I’m really disappointed.

When growing up my family and friends would drum it in your head Labour are for the poor and the Conservatives are for the rich and as you get older you can’t seem to escape politics and I’ve always been a supporter of Labour for that very reason.

Under the Labour coalition they wanted to charge us to park in parks, use toilets and charge us to park on our seafront until 9pm. 

This really shocks me because I would have thought Labour wouldn’t want to hit their voters in the pockets with all these additional charges and to my astonishment the Conservatives didn’t want to do that.

I’m really disappointed that the Labour coalition have amended extra chargers to its residents/voters to park on our seafront, making it no longer free from 6pm. 

We should be encouraging our residents to pop down our seafront in the evenings and not hit them in there pockets and I’m disappointed that independent parties have agreed to this as well.

What happened to looking after the residents first and encourage them to use our facilities without hurting them even more with charges which don’t need to be there? 

I do worry for our future with more charges coming into place.

LEE CLARK

Member of the Confelicity Parry (Kursaal Ward)