Readers have their say on bins and migration, plus a poignant 1946 picture from the archive

PICTURE FROM THE PAST: Christmas morning, 1946 – more than 200 German prisoners of war from the camp at Penkridge attend Mass at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Cannock. The men had brought toys they had made for poor children in the town, before being served tea and cigarettes in the parish room. | Express & Star archive

placeholder image — PICTURE FROM THE PAST: Christmas morning, 1946 – more than 200 German prisoners of war from the camp at Penkridge attend Mass at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Cannock. The men had brought toys they had made for poor children in the town, before being served tea and cigarettes in the parish room. | Express & Star archive

Today, readers share their thoughts on the trials and tribulations of bin night, while another takes aim at Reform UK's plans for returning illegal migrants

Bin night again

It’s bin night yet again

Time to get them ready for the morning

Making sure that everything’s placed in

The right one takes some sorting!

‘Is it bottles, cans and plastic?’

I cry - it’s been a week and I’ve forgotten;

The food bin’s a bit rancid

In this heat, stuff soon goes rotten

I take out the week’s newspapers

‘Perhaps next week’s news will be better’

I call out to the next door neighbour

Whose bin keeps sliding into the gutter

He grunts with some frustration

As he wrestles with his disobedient bin

That just won’t stay in the position

He’s trying to stand it in!

I’m not sure that he’s aware I’m there

As I witness his personal meltdown

He starts to swear and tear his hair

But then he turns and calmly asks me a question:

‘We’ve got bins for this and bins for that

‘But tell me something brother

‘Do you not agree with me that

There should be just one other?’

I wondered at his question,

Hoped to soothe him with an answer

For he still shook with frustration

Beneath that seemingly new calm manner

‘The bin that’s missing’ he went on

‘As crazy as it seems,

‘It obvious to me that we need one

‘For all of our hopes and our dreams!’

Alan Jones, Midlands

Reform’s idea on fag packet

Reform UK's policy of returning illegal migrants using the Royal Navy is yet another back-of-the-fag-packet exercise.

It is designed to detract attention from the financial shenanigans surrounding Nigel Farage and Richard Tice.

The idea that a naval boat can simply turn up at Calais or any other port and offload its human cargo is simply laughable.

Maritime law is clear – it says a ship of any size has to have a local port pilot on board when it enters the harbour for navigational safety reasons.

There is no way the French are going to facilitate this.

And they haven't got round to supplying dockers for tying-up purposes, or fixing gangplanks.

Name and address supplied

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