Dog thefts another way in which our society is breaking down

JUDGING by the number of notices I have seen recently there appears to be a spate of dog theft in some areas of the county.

Just how low some people will stoop to make money and avoid work is beyond belief. In the process this type of crime makes some peoples life hell and is to be roundly condemned.

So many of the elderly and children as well as the lonely, rely upon their pets for company and support that it is hard to believe the grief this kind of low life can cause. It is well worth doing what you can to protect your pets using chipping etc. and there are a number of good websites where people can call on the assistance of others in their search for lost or stolen pets. The upsurge in this kind of crime is yet another way in which our society seems to breaking down.

Regular readers of this column will recall that recently I discussed the move of some BBC programming from London to Salford and questioned just how much it might cost for some employees expenses to meet their obligations.

Well at least one Sunday national newspaper would appear to have come up with some of the answers.

It seems that Gary Lineker, whose annual salary is reputed to be in seven figures, also takes travelling expenses, and these were set out. When you add in the ex-footballer’s other financial commitments must bring in it all adds up to fair number of bags of crisps a year! I don’t blame Lineker for taking the money, who wouldn’t if it’s on offer? But this is yet another way in which the BBC fails us, the public, when it comes spending our money.

The Corporation’s oft used excuse that they need to pay big money for talent does not bear scrutiny when a) You look at some of the dross that is served up every day on television and b) The hard work carried out by thousands for BBC local radio.

These are the stations where many youngsters work odd hours for very little other than the so called chance to move on to bigger things.

When you come to think of it, just because a sportsman or woman reaches the height of their chosen profession, that doesn’t make them an ideal presenter for TV does it? So why not give the men and women who have worked hard for many years and who are regularly passed over for a so called ‘Name’ a chance?