IAM writing in response to Margo Grimshaw's assessment of the drinking culture in Blackburn. The town centre is quite mild now to how it used to be and I can go back quite a lot of years.

Although I haven't been in town for over 12 months now, due to the fact that Blackburn must be the worst town in the North West for night time entertainment.

My kids and all their friends go out of town if they want a good night out and like most young ones today if they do go clubbing then they try and get as much cheap booze down their necks so they don't have to pay the prices in the nightclubs. That is were a lot of the problem lies.

When I went to the old Cavendish club the price of the drinks wasn't that much dearer than pubs prices and, like Margo said, young and old used to mix in a relaxed atmosphere. But the gaming laws put paid to all that.

Binge drinking has been a problem in this country for many years due to the licensing laws. So cutting back on the late night drinking will only make things worse, not better.

In other countries you can go out as a family for a meal and a drink and sit and socialise without trying to get as much alcohol in your system as possible before the bar closes.

If Margo wants to see a better class of drinker in Blackburn, let's get a better place for decent people to go instead of tacky pubs and clubs.

P A LYNCH, Meadowfields, Oakdale, Blackburn.