THE Citizen has once again proved it is at the heart of the community after pupils worried about a vandalised play area sent us nine letters highlighting the problem.

In April we told how eight-year-old Rosie Hiles cut her arm on broken glass in the Turpin Green play area in Leyland, offering concerned readers a chance to write into the paper to have their say.

But most worried of all were Rosie's classmates who sent the letters revealing the true extent of needless vandalism to their play areas.

In one, pupils Victoria, Sophie, Annabel and Lisa described seeing a gang of young boys setting a tree on fire.

They wrote: "We think that if you put a park keeper, a responsible one, and a hidden camera connected straight to the police station, it will help stop the vandalism."

The letters were part of an exercise set by teacher Linda McHugh who explained how she was inspired by the article in The Citizen. She said: "Because the children are in the same class as Rosie the article provided a lot of stimulation for class activities.

As part of their school 'literacy hour' the class of seven and eight year olds discussed the issues the article had raised. Miss McHugh was surprised at the number of children with similar experiences to Rosie.

She said: "It turned out to be a very pertinent issue and they came up with some pretty awful examples. Our children spend a lot of time in playgrounds, so they notice these things."

During their discussions the children explained how vandalism and underage drinking were the main culprits. Rebecca, Anthony and Jason said there is more than the vandals to blame in their letter.

They said: "We think the people who are responsible should get three quarters of the blame.

"The quarter left should go to the people who sell this alcohol."

Have you got a story to tell about vandalism in your area? Why not contact our newsdesk on 01772 824631.