FOR several months, Bury Council has spent a considerable amount of money, time and effort creating new children's recreation facilities on Bolton Road West playing fields in Ramsbottom. Yet in just a few weeks yobs have already torn up some of the safety surface.

This play equipment is designed for children, not those from secondary school who seem to dominate the weekends and evenings, intimidating the very young.

Parents should ask whether their child is guilty of this vandalism. Don't always believe that your child wouldn't do such a thing. Some of the worst behaved youngsters are the ones from the most affluent families who need to learn about respect for property which less well-off people have helped to pay for.

Having worked for 45 years, I really do begrudge paying ever-increasing community charge to repair the damage caused by such people. It would teach them a valuable lesson if they were dumped in Iraq to experience what it is like to live without such recreational facilities.

BRW OBSERVER.