Alex Ross on pool problems, a cheaper ticket to ride and World Cup woes

Open spaces and parks save the NHS millions of pounds each year, so says a report by the Fields in Trust charity. So imagine my shock driving past Tettenhall Pool/my local park pool and seeing it empty... on the hottest day of the year so far. The responsible council waits until the Whitsun Bank Holiday to fill the usually-popular water feature. But what if the council had the foresight to open a little early? Opportunity missed, and money saved, apparently.

Talking of the weather. Anyone else getting sick of the health promotional messages on our screens and news pages year after year. Drink plenty of fluids, apply sun cream, avoid staring at the sun. They'll be reminding us next to put our clothes on in the morning and having a wash at least once a week. Do people actually get paid for this? I'd rather see people within the health service working in our hospitals than sending out the same patronising messages.

Good news! Finally, a review is to be done over rail fares in a bid to stop passengers being ripped off. It will address concerns that travellers 'are being cheated', according to The Times. Cheated is an understatement. Return ticket from Wolverhampton to Stockport.... 60 miles..... £33. I'm afraid the car keys are still out.

And why go to Stockport? My football team, which unleashed another season of pain on me. Alas, a summer free... but no, we have a World Cup, you know, and England are taking part. Pain is relentless.

Moving on, and AA have this week described the state of Britain's roads as a disgrace. It claims potholes cost motorists at least £1m a month in damages. I'm going to stick my neck out here. Yes, our roads do have potholes. There are more than 250,000 miles of road in this country. Let's face it, it would be impossible to keep on top of and continually repair/replace every stretch of road impacted. Can't we all just slow down, look at the road ahead and take care?

*Peter Rhodes is away