HAVING been without a dog for the last 18 months I haven't witnessed the wanton destruction happening near Mireystock. Now I am with dog again I think it only right and proper that we sniff out and hound the ne'er do wells with a dogged determination (puns over) who are destroying this beautiful forest.

I speak of the Forestry Commission and their agents, leaving vast, barren areas and huge scars (often three feet deep) along well established pathways, resulting in a scene more reminiscent of the Somme than a forest track, detritus of their greed often scattered alongside – huge agricultural tyres.

Many the times we have heard local folk complaining about horses, 4x4's, motorbikes or fly-tippers damaging the environment – rank amateurs compared to the F.C. let me tell you.

The forest was doing just fine before they came along. Hopefully it will be here long after I'm gone. I appreciate that there's money to be made and that the F.C. isn't a charity. However there are many ways to achieve your goals and it seems that a sympathetic approach to the environment isn't one of them.

– Austin Banner, Worrall Hill.