Dalehouse is a tiny hamlet just inland from Staithes with an air of 'a bit of old England', a row of terraced houses with a farm opposite, a few large houses and a fine pub.
No street lights, no phone box, no shop – a wonderful place to live.
Hens, mallards and large muscovy ducks roam free around a little beck.
People from local towns and villages come regularly and bring their small children to feed the ducks wi
th bread, cakes and cabbage and for ‘a run in the car’.
On the afternoon of Sunday 13 July, we had what looked like a responsible driver with one or more passengers who drove, quite deliberately, through four muscovy ducks as they waddled down the lane.
There was a terrific bang, feathers everywhere and a large duck lying in the road.
I can only presume that through ignorance the driver thought the birds would just fly off, as the sparrows etc do.
We had small children crying and grown-ups grabbing them to safety and then the task of finding someone, on a Sunday afternoon, to administer first aid to one very large, frightened, bleeding duck.
The hamlet is full of small children, teenagers and young ladies riding fine horses and ponies, an accident waiting to happen.
I can forgive the driver for his ignorance, but what I cannot understand is how he could drive on without a second glance.
All I hope is that he has a little guilty conscience and a large dent in his car.
Valerie Macleod-Linsley, Dalehouse, Staithes
The full article contains 264 words and appears in Whitby Gazette Friday newspaper.
