AIRCRAFT flying over Suffolk has become a blight for our green and pleasant county over the last few years - and the increase in flights has been a concern we have highlighted in our Air Fair campaign.

AIRCRAFT flying over Suffolk has become a blight for our green and pleasant county over the last few years - and the increase in flights has been a concern we have highlighted in our Air Fair campaign.

One of most worrying factors in the increase in the number of flights is the fact that those of us who live under the flightpaths were not consulted before the number of planes increased so steeply.

So the news that Stansted bosses are to monitor noise caused by planes using the Essex airport will be welcomed by everyone whose homes live under the flightpaths.

This is a welcome sign that officials at the airport are prepared to listen to the concerns of those whose lives are affected by the flights.

But what we also need to see is some action on their part to try to reduce the number of planes flying over our county.

If flights have to be stacked before landing, surely it must be possible to hold the flights over the North Sea rather than over south Suffolk.

And from an environmental point of view action must be taken to avoid planes from having to be held in the air - landing flightpaths must be made available before the planes take off.

There is nothing worse for the atmosphere than a jet spewing out carbon dioxide at high levels while just going round and round in circles.

It is good to see Stansted is now prepared to talk about the issue. Now we shall be watching to ensure airport bosses follow up their words with actions.

DRIVERS using the A14 know the most frustrating aspect of using this road is when two lorries try to overtake one another.

A heavy lorry travelling at 60mph can take literally miles to overtake another travelling at 59mph - a manoeuvre that can cause serious frustration for following drivers.

So many people will be very interested to see how successful the experimental overtaking ban is on the A14 in Northamptonshire.

Lorries will be banned from overtaking on two hills where there are regular delays - and if it proves successful there could be pressure to extend this to other parts of the road.

Of course there will always be situations where lorries do need to overtake - for instance if they come across a tractor or a cyclist on the road - but generally there is no need for them to cause trouble for other motorists by hogging the outside lane.

AS Mark Loram begins his long recovery after last week's horrific accident at Foxhall, thousands of Witches fans will be wanting to wish him well for a full recovery.

It seems certain that he will be out of the sport he loves for at least a year - but Mark knows that had it not been for the great work of the emergency services things could have been much worse.

Fans will be hoping that he does get over his injuries and will be back riding around the Foxhall track in 2008.