Sir: I find it alarming that in this post-Thatcherite era Jeremy Warner is still advocating deregulation as the panacea for British economic problems ("The problem with British inefficiency", 31 october).

A VICAR and church wardens who carried out DIY repairs to a 12th century church have been ordered to have some of the work re-done.

CLOTHING THAT never gets dirty could soon be in fashion - thanks to British scientists. The secret developed by researchers at the University of Durham is every parent's dream come true.

Sir: All the arguments on both sides about the euro seem to be confined to the UK's narrow economic interests. Why does nobody put the case that the EU as a whole will be stronger both economically and politically when Britain joins the monetary union?

Derbyshire 205 and 27-1 Durham 434-6 dec

Sir: The anti-social nature of Leylandii could be overcome by feeding trespassing roots with weedkiller. The owner might sue, but with so many mitigating factors the outcome might well be an uncomfortable draw.

Sir: I am the landlady of a busy and smoky pub. The idea that smoking can be banned ("Public backing for smoking bans", 13 January) is quite alarming, as I am sure it would be damaging to my trade.

Keeley Durham's Virtual Village Welham was named as the Duphar Top Horse at yesterday's Animal Health Trust's Awards lunch in London.

Maybe Mr Mandelson has inherited his arrogance from his maternal grandfather, Herbert Morrison, who was a minister in the post-war Attlee government. It was Morrison, after all, who boasted that the Tories would never be able to "unscramble" the newly nationalised industries.

Sir: Your report on the alleged incidents on the Durham grouse moors ("Saboteur violence wrecks grouse-shooting party", 13 August) seems to be drawn entirely from Durham police and British Field Sports Society press releases. There was another party involved in the incident, the hunt saboteurs.

Heal our ruined countryside

ICI is negotiating the sale of a large part of its industrial chemicals division to DuPont, the American chemicals giant, for up to pounds 2bn. The deal is expected to include Tioxide, the titanium dioxide maker which had originally been slated for a stock market flotation.

Durham 251 and 183-8 dec

Sussex are lodging an official complaint with the English Cricket Board following their farcical Sunday League defeat at Durham this week. The county faced a revised target of 80 in four overs under the complex Duckworth-Lewis system after torrential rain caused a 100-minute delay to the match at Chester-le-Street.