IN reply to Mr McDermott (Letters, August 16), although he did not mention me by name I take it that he was referring to me as I am the only male councillor in Ewood ward.

As chairman of the Infirmary area Community Safety Group I can honestly say that no-one could have striven more in conjunction with my ward colleagues, Councillors Bateson and Oldfield, to make this area a safer place in which to live and work.

We have worked for the past three years, together with the police, fire brigade, council officers, members of the Community Association at Ivy Street and the local neighbourhood watch schemes towards our goals which are: reduction of crime, youth nuisance and traffic-related accidents and endeavouring to make the area a more pleasant place in which to live.

Currently we are carrying out a road safety initiative involving making junctions safer by ensuring that 'residents parking' does not prevent emergency vehicles accessing any streets. We are also looking at the issue of speeding and although road humps are impractical, due to the number of ambulances that use both Mosley Street and Rockcliffe Street, some other form of calming method, such as the red lines system as adopted on Haslingden Road, is a possibility. The issue of speed cameras has not been discussed to my knowledge and certainly no promises have been made by myself or either of my colleagues.

This system could only be introduced by the police and I am in constant contact with Inspector Howarth and Sergeant Rigby, who are regular attenders at our Community Safety Group meetings.

None of the residents who live in the Rockcliffe Street/Pritchard Street who attend our meetings have even suggested that speed cameras are necessary.

I should be delighted if Mr McDermott could attend the next meeting of the Community Safety Group, which is on Wednesday, September 15, commencing 2pm, at Ivy Street Community Centre, when he will be able to see at first-hand the amount of work which has been done and will be done towards better road safety in our area.

If he cannot attend, I would be happy to discuss this issue at our next Ward surgery which is on Monday, September 6, between 6.30pm and 7pm, at Ivy Street. Failing this, he can ring me any time and I will gladly find time to have a chat.

JOHN MILBURN, Member for Ewood Ward, Blackburn with Darwen Council.

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