THIS week I noticed the new bus shelters to the rear of the recently built retail complex on Atherleigh Way had been yet again mindlessly vandalised. This is the third or fourth time it has happened.

Nearly every night gangs of yobbos congregate round the loading bays hellbent on creating as much havoc and disturbance as possible to public property and nearby residents. Where are the police patrols to deter this sickening vandalism?

One night I noticed some yobs in the skip wagons scattering litter all over the place thinking it was a fun thing to do. When I went to report the incident to one of the retail shops, a shop manager seemed content to let the behaviour go unchecked.

Afterwards I began to wonder if it is worth reporting anything of this nature as it appears people could not really be bothered. So why should I bother? Do people care enough, once and for all, to stamp out this sort of criminal behaviour? It appears not. There is just nothing to deter them.

We have to rely on present policing standards which I have to say falls pretty low to me.

D. Hill

Pilling Street,Leigh.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.