REGARDING your article (LET, March 4) about the 'high-power' event the previous night when you reported that "around 3,000 motorists and passengers were dispersed by police after congregating in East Lancashire."

This figure seems to have been plucked out of thin air.

According to the report, the police only dispersed between 300 and 400 vehicles. The article also suggests the congregation was organised by the magazine 'Max Power,' but it is members of the general public who organise these car meetings.

The reported 'congregation,' referred to as a 'car cruise,' is simply a gathering of like-minded, modified car enthusiasts who enjoy meeting up on a weekend to see (hopefully) masses of uniquely customized cars and to meet new people from all over the country.

I am sure that everyone in the 'cruising' community can appreciate that it could be a little daunting for a local constabulary to find hundreds of cars -- some 'high powered,' some entirely standard -- driving along a road in their jurisdiction, and this is the reason why we try and spend as little time on the road as possible.

All that we try to do is park up in a car park and then leave to go home again a few hours later. In fact, the only reason you would find huge numbers of 'cruise' cars on the road, other than coming to and from the event, is due to an authority ruling that we must move on, thus allowing the prospect of gridlock and angry drivers.

Your report on the 'cruise' suggests that everyone races around ignoring traffic signals and causing problems for other road-users. This is a false accusation.

A very small minority of people who attend cruises may do this. Unfortunately, these events attract this small minority, which the community could do without. However, this is the same with almost all sports and hobbies -- for instance football.

Just because there is a minority of hooligans in the crowd doesn't mean that all the supporters are hooligans and the police respect that and do not arrest the entire crowd or ask them to move on.

BARRY HAYES, Granville Road, Sheffield.