IMAGINE a place where children play happily in the street, a place where people can leave their windows and doors open without fear of intruders.

Imagine a place were the words 'compensation,' 'paedophile,' 'asylum' and 'junkie' are never heard. Imagine no traffic jams, no junk food, no designer wear, no TV soaps, no mobile phones, no computers, no council tax.

Imagine a place were not working is frowned upon, were churches are full on Sundays, neighbours are the best of friends, and the elderly are respected and looked after.

Fantasy! Poppycock! Pipedreams! No, the place is Blackburn, the time the early 1950s.

J ALLAN, Rothesay Road, Blackburn.