WE now see, on a daily basis, how the rule of law is being dismissed and ignored.

There's a worrying trend of attacking dedicated members of our society who provide valuable services such as paramedics helping the sick and injured, or members of the fire service coming under missile attack and being abused.

Youths even place concrete blocks on train lines and start fires deliberately, all done to cause maximum harm and distress.

We see decent law-abiding citizens robbed and attacked without mercy and animals and birds injured and killed.

This situation is happening on a daily basis. Citizens' rights to protection of person and property is slowly, but surely, being eroded by thugs. Victims left in trauma and total despair, businesses broken into and vandalised as insurance costs go through the roof and livelihoods disappearing as thugs continue unabated to wreck lives, health and property -- this is what's happening today.

It is a basic human right to go about our daily business without fear. Yet we see the weak in our society targeted time and time again, being left traumatised, hurt, and, in many cases, never recovering after such terrible attacks.

Something must be done to combat this terrible violence which is becoming an ever present daily occurrence.

Mrs Marguerite Ralphs, Bretherton Terrace, Leyland.