Help police find animals' killers

And their contempt can only be heightened by the manner in which the attack echoes the horror felt when arsonists started a fire at the complex some years ago, claiming the lives of several animals.

The apparent pleasure the killers took in their barbarous handiwork is beyond belief. They chopped and hacked at the defenceless animals and then spread parts of their bodies around the farm, which has brought pleasure and knowledge to generations of young people.

As police begin their meticulous investigation we are sure the net will gradually tighten around the culprits. But we would appeal to readers to help. If you know who was responsible, let the police know. The killers do not deserve to be shielded from justice.

Sound alarm bells over green belt loss

IT is always a difficult choice to make when the interests of the environment are pitched against jobs, particularly in an area such as ours where the loss of employment has been high on the list of everyone's concerns for generations.

But that should not mean the concerns of campaigners against Network Rail plans to develop a depot near Beighton should be welcomed unquestioningly. And it is equally wrong to dismiss those protesters as a 'minority', as though their views are out of step with people from the area.

The fact that the plant is intended for green belt land ought to be enough to set alarm bells ringing in Sheffield, where our post-industrial landscape has produced more brownfield areas than most similar sized cities.

Heart-felt slimming

LATEST news from the health police... middle aged spread is bad for you. They suggest that even carrying a couple of excess pounds round the waist increases the risk of heart disease. But you might also argue that the hours you'd spend battling the bulge in the gym could also add to the risk of heart attack!