Time to rid country of nuclear weapons- your views

“Getting rid of nuclear weapons, will free up cash to spend on decent things like health and education”

Trident is based at Faslane on the Clyde

Time to rid country of nuclear weapons

The recent announcement by the Westminster government that they plan to increase the country’s stockpile of nuclear warheads by 40 per cent is hugely disappointing.

Currently Britain has around 200 nuclear warheads and each has about eight times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

There are many good reasons for getting rid of nuclear weapons, such as freeing up cash to spend on decent things like health and education.

Information available via modern environmental modelling techniques shows that even a small scale use of modern nuclear weapons would lead to massive damage and destruction in the country being attacked.

This modelling also shows the use of modern nuclear weapons would spread radiation around the world, leading to a cooling of the atmosphere, shorter growing seasons, food shortages and global famine – disastrous consequences for our planet.

Time to rid our country and our world of the scourge of nuclear weapons and for the government to think again about this wrong-headed and reckless plan to add to our nuclear arsenal.

Arthur West, Annandale Way, Irvine.

Card-only payment policy is wrong

I write regarding Greggs bakers policy of not accepting cash payments. I was in the queue recently at Stenhouse Place and three young school kids attempted to buy their lunch but only had cash, so all three were turned away.

Did they go hungry? What did their parents think/say, did they protest to Greggs, I wonder? This is a conversation that needs to happen.

Vivienne Fraser, Edinburgh.

Warriston gardeners deserve our praise

I never fail to be impressed every time I visit Warriston Crematorium. The gardeners do a fantastic job and I would like to express my appreciation.

Recalling or saying good-bye to a loved one heightens emotions and to have this beauty and feeling of calm all around is precious. So thank you Mel, Bob, Ian and John for the stunning gardens.

Tommy Taylor, Queen's Bay Crescent, Joppa.

Electric car subsidy is misplaced idea

Grants to bribe motorists to switch to electric cars have been cut from £3000 to £2500 and the qualifying value limit is now £35,000 cut from £50,000.

Last year this grant scheme was renewed to provide an additional £582 million of funding. Why should taxpayers fund rich EV owners?

Not content with eye-watering grants, EV owners are calling for free parking and being allowed to drive in bus lanes. Some councils provide free electricity.

The UK's emissions are 1.13 per cent and there are 40 million vehicles. China, with 30 per cent of global emissions has 365 million petrol/diesel vehicles. There are 1.2 billion vehicles in the world and there will be 2 billion by 2035.

Seems unlikely the rich UK EV owner can "save the planet".

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.

Helen is naive over Nicola’s performance

I wonder where Helen Martin has been living since Alex Salmond was acquitted a year ago (News, 22 March).

To state "Sturgeon has done nothing wrong" shows extreme naivety at best. If proven the First Minister misled the Scottish Parliament, she should not be "forced to resign" but offer her resignation with immediate effect.

John Humphrey, Edinburgh.