HAVING just returned from holiday, I was delighted to see in a back number (Letters, December 23) that a councillor was taking action regarding the problems being caused by the North West Water on the A666 between Blackburn and Darwen.

The joy was somewhat short-lived when it became clear that he was clearly indicating the impotence of our unitary authority.

In managing our environment, it would appear that the elected body is subservient to the decisions of a private service industry.

No-one is denying the responsibility of North West Water in providing its services and maintaining their high quality, but does it not seem strange their activities are not subject to co-ordination and supervision, regulated by the local authority.

When a community is disrupted by the activity of any agency, common sense suggests that the representatives of that community are involved from the outset in the planning that considers how best to minimise the disruption for the maximum number of people.

If, as it appears, this has not happened, then the obvious question is: Why not?

If the local authority says it has no power, then, surely, the matter must be taken up with our other elected representatives.

I suppose in the end if our elected representatives feel there is nothing they can do we shall just have to elect other representatives.

CHRIS THAYNE, Woodlands Grove, Darwen.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.