Letters: Britain’s bewildering failure to exploit home-grown nuclear technology

SIR – In 2006 I had the privilege of spending a day on HMS Vengeance, the 18,000-ton submarine moored in Faslane. During the visit we were shown the nuclear engine made by Rolls-Royce.

I wrote to Sir Ralph Robins, who had been chairman of the company, suggesting that it could make mini power stations. His reply was that it had put forward its designs, only for the government of the day to show no interest whatsoever.

The present Government has now invited a competition to make these mini power stations, or small modular reactors (Letters, August 7), which I would suggest is a gross insult to Rolls-Royce and has resulted in many lost years of lead time.

Warwick Banks
Ketton, Rutland

SIR – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard (“Britain cowers as China leads revolution in clean tech”, Business, August 2) is wrong to condone the granting of new drilling licences for oil and gas. If developed countries such as Britain do not choose to leave fossil fuels in the ground, what chance do we have of persuading poorer countries to do the same?

We should be leading by example; and numerous surveys show that the Government is seriously out of step with most voters, who want positive action to address the climate crisis.

Britain will not need new oil and gas production if it chooses instead to reduce domestic demand by incentivising micro-generation schemes. This could also obviate the need for much of the new electricity distribution infrastructure currently considered necessary. 

Martin C Lack
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

SIR – Is it just me, or has everybody forgotten that we still need oil for the many plastics we rely upon – for everything from electric cars and home appliances to vital medical equipment? It’s not all about hydrocarbon fuels, so let’s produce what we need locally.

Brian Worrell
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire

SIR – We live in a Grade II listed cottage, in a national park and in the middle of a conservation area. 

We have no gas in the village and are dependent on oil for both our heating and hot water (Letters, August 7). We aren’t allowed double glazing or solar panels, and a recent visit by a heat pump engineer – along with a thermal insulation study – confirmed that no current heat pump would even begin to warm the house. 

Even if such a heat pump were to exist, the likelihood is that it wouldn’t be allowed within the curtilage of a listed building. Would someone please tell me, then, what we are supposed to do for heat when oil boilers are banned?

Commodore Peter Melson (retd)
Droxford, Hampshire
 

Tories’ migrant record

SIR – This hopeless Tory Government has spent years – along with millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money – trying and failing to halt illegal immigration. It is now passing the buck by getting employers and landlords to carry out the checks that the Home Office cannot do (“Bosses who hire illegal migrants ‘face ruin’”, report, August 7). 

The Government’s solution appears to be to put employers and landlords out of business, which will have the effect of further reducing the tax take. 

Another open goal for Labour.

David Hutchinson
Nutley, East Sussex

SIR – The Home Office does not have a clue who is in the country. Students come, stay and disappear. Illegal immigrants know that Britain is a soft touch, and many thousands are off the grid. Our borders are porous.

Why, when almost all countries in the European Economic Area have an ID system, does Britain insist it does not need one? Landlords and businesses should not be hounded and penalised when there is no system to protect or support them. It is time to put in place a national ID scheme. 

Stuart Moore
Bramham, West Yorkshire
 

Republican hope

SIR – The indicted Donald Trump is either delusional or deceitful, and his attitude to the Ukraine war means another Trump White House could be disastrous for the security of Europe. 

If Nigel Farage is right about the qualities of Vivek Ramaswamy (“One man can help Make America Great Again”, Comment, August 7), this young man could trounce the old and failing Joe Biden and return the Grand Old Party to sanity. But agreeing to be Mr Trump’s running mate would leave him forever sullied. 

We must hope that decent Republicans can overcome the Trump cultists and choose Mr Ramaswamy as their presidential candidate.

John Hicks
Manchester
 

Bird-friendly bushes 

SIR – A pair of blackbirds in my garden are well on their way with their fourth brood. They all come for the sultanas we put out for them on the patio. They look through the windows for a top up.

I am desperate to get my hedges cut (Letters, August 5) but it will have to wait until the autumn. It’s tragic that others don’t follow this simple rule.

Tricia Camm
Whitby, North Yorkshire
 

Irish directions

SIR – My first visit to Ireland (Letters, August 7) was in 1959, when a college friend and I went on a week’s camping and hitchhiking holiday – a reward for finishing our O-levels. We had a very enjoyable experience. It often felt like we were in a different world – and, indeed, a different time zone.

We travelled to wherever our hitched lifts took us, and one such saw us dropped off in a lovely rural area. We asked a local how far it was to the nearest little village, where we intended to set up camp for the night. His answer was short and simple: “About three miles, but if you’re quick you’ll do it in two.”

Needless to say, I’ve since returned to Ireland as often as possible.

J Eric Nolan
Blackburn, Lancashire

SIR – One of my favourite sayings of my Irish mother-in-law was: “Will you hurry up and take your time?”

Steve Cartridge
Bolton, Lancashire
 

Pleasant private care

SIR – Many years ago, while I was waiting to have a knee replacement in our local hospital, the anaesthetist asked me if I knew I had a heart murmur. It was probably nothing, she said, but better get it checked out. 

A few weeks later, I was waiting to have an aortic valve replacement in Southampton, when I was asked if I minded having my operation in the private hospital next door. Apparently some people do mind, because of loyalty to the NHS (“NHS goes private to end record backlog”, report, August 4). My open heart surgery went ahead, and I thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet of my private room with ensuite facilities, a television and The Daily Telegraph with my breakfast (for which I was charged). 

I have nothing but gratitude for the excellent treatment I’ve had on several occasions at the orthopaedic ward of our local hospital – but should I ever be offered treatment in a private hospital again, I would not hesitate.

Diana Goetz
Salisbury, Wiltshire 
 

Remote banking 

SIR – I was interested in the letters (August 5) from unhappy customers of banks that had closed local branches. 

As an 80-year-old, I’m amazed that so many bank branches are still open. The last time I darkened the door of any bank was five years ago, when I had to close my dear departed wife’s personal account, as it couldn’t be done by telephone.

I maintain personal accounts with two banks without going anywhere near a bricks-and-mortar version. Indeed, one of them is happy to talk to me on the phone at any time of the day or night, should I need the facility, but I rarely do. Cash is readily available through holes in the wall or my village post office. Everything else is achievable online.

John Griffin
Lincoln 
 

Tribute to Elizabeth II

SIR – I read that there is to be no official commemoration to mark the first anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II next month.

The Union flag was flown at half-mast over Buckingham Palace for the whole day to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales on August 31 1998. It would be discourteous if this same recognition were not accorded to the memory of the late Queen.

Garry P High
Guildford, Surrey
 

Getting creative with a collection of corks

SIR – I collect interesting wine corks (Letters, August 5) and make cork boards. Besides those with the makers’ names, I have ones that say “Life is too short to drink bad wine”, “Made slowly in Portugal” and “Enjoy”. 

Champagne corks sometimes have a letter (A or G), which I have included to personalise a board.

Liesje Sinclair
Steyning, West Sussex

SIR – Like Stephen Barklem (“Dress-down burial”, Letters, August 5), I have amassed many corks – more than 1,000 – from bottles drunk personally (with family and friends, of course). My plan is to have too many corks on my demise to fit in my coffin – so perhaps the coffin itself could be made from them. What could be more environmentally friendly?

David Jones
Cambridge

SIR – I am reminded by recent correspondence of an occasion four years ago when peals of laughter echoed from the Carlisle crematorium during the otherwise sombre final farewell to a dear friend, who in life had been a keen amateur racing and rally driver. 

His widow had considered sending him on his final journey in his race suit, until it was pointed out that this was flameproof. 

John Cavendish
Alton, Hampshire
 

Local authorities’ role in the housing shortage

SIR – Kate Graeme-Cook (Letters, August 2) blames Margaret Thatcher-era sales of council housing for today’s severe shortages, but is ignoring the failure of local authorities to reinvest and replace their stock at the time – and, indeed, ever since. 

What did they do with the cash received from their sales to tenants? Why did they not foresee the need to renew stocks continually?
 
Hugh Marsden 
London W14 

SIR – The sooner council (local authority) building programmes are put in place the better. 

Simply stating there is a crisis but taking no action is no help to those in desperate need of housing. What is more, the cost of temporary accommodation is wasting resources that could be better employed to solve, or at least mitigate, the problem. 

Eric Parkman 
Eastbourne, East Sussex 

SIR – John Kerry (Letters, August 6) expresses reservations about having three new housing developments in his area, with no change to the village infrastructure to accommodate the increase in the number of people.

In Florida (and possibly elsewhere in America), buyers of new houses have to pay an “impact fee” over and above the price of the new home. That money is ring-fenced and used to provide additional infrastructure. Perhaps that’s too simple for our local authorities.

Bryan Lunn
Leiston, Suffolk
 

Letters to the Editor

We accept letters by email and post. Please include name, address, work and home telephone numbers.  
ADDRESS: 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0DT   
EMAIL: dtletters@telegraph.co.uk   
FOLLOW: Telegraph Letters on Twitter @LettersDesk 
NEWSLETTER: sign up to receive the award-winning Telegraph Conversations here