THE chairman of the Tyldesley and District Partnership, Mike Norris, has written saying he was sorry to see comments from a resident who felt the town centre was too lawless to venture into after 9pm.

He concedes that the flats on the Market Square house some undesirable elements in society, but says surely they're better there than having them as neighbours. Mike adds that a lot has been done in recent years to improve safety in the town and shopkeepers and publicans have donated thousands of pounds towards the CCTV system, which, contrary to belief, works 24/7.

He reminds complainants that the town centre has an alcohol ban in force on the streets with a £500 maximum fine for those who think it doesn't apply to them and that the intimidating crowds drinking and blocking the pavements outside pubs is a thing of the past.

Weekend evenings have a friendly police presence to prevent trouble escalating from minor disagreements between revellers and provide a reassuring atmosphere of calm.

For the past three years Tyldesley Town Centre Safety Unit has worked hard trying to improve life in the town, unfortunately red tape has prevented many of the proposed schemes and lack of subsidies stopped others, but they're getting there.

As for there only being pubs, clubs and takeaways that's right. Mike says it's been disheartening to see numbers of people take over Tyldesley shops using their redundancy money only to see their hopes and dreams dashed. It has always been the case - use it or lose it and people haven't used it. The current mix of shops is the result of market forces - a market place aimed at the night-time economy. He appeals to residents to give it a try again! I have to agree, then I think Tyldesley is a smashing little place - during the day at least .