IAM a Darwener working abroad. I recently visited Darwen and, during my stay, I relied on public transport. One afternoon I caught the little bus which travels on a circular route from the Circus via Kay Street, Redearth, Ashleigh, Whitehall, Watery Lane and over the Sough back to Darwen.

During the day the bus is used mainly by housewives and retired folk. After school, pupils from the Darwen secondary schools also board the bus at Darwen Circus.

One day, I noticed an unruly group of schoolchildren boarding the bus. The ring leader, a girl approximately 14-years-old, had a vocabulary consisting mainly of four letter words. She became almost demented.

Her entourage found her very amusing. One of the elderly women asked her to stop swearing. The ring leader began verbally abusing the elderly women and the school children began hurling paper missiles at the women.

One of the women turned round and asked the school children to stop throwing rubbish. The ring leader shouted "shut up you old bag." I advised the school children they should seek psychiatric treatment and asked the bus driver to evict the unruly school children from the bus.

The driver, of ethnic background, did not want to get involved so he carried on driving. The demented ring leader got off the bus at Knowsley Road, along with the remaining entourage and the bus was quiet again.

Each time I return to Darwen I notice the decline in behaviour of Darwen schoolchildren. I am also dismayed that nowadays the majority of school age children tend to remain seated on a bus while pregnant or older passengers have to stand when there are no vacant seats.

Surely, school age children should be taught, by parents and teachers, to give up their seats to pregnant and older passengers.

M MORRIS (Miss), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.