PICTURE this - Cherry Tree Drive Estate, cosy retirement bungalows with pleasant views, surrounded by beautiful, secured landscaped gardens and communal seating areas to while away the days.

There is also an intercom installed if help is required urgently, giving peace of mind and a feeling of security to the elderly and their families. Very friendly neighbourhood.

Now picture the reality - evening entertainment consists of local yobbos running over the rooftops, a good game for terrorising the elderly and infirm. Unkempt shrub land that hasn't seen a gardener since the buildings were erected. Seating and fencing long since vandalised, burnt or stolen - never to be replaced (and it wasn't even bonfire night). Broken fences littered across pathways - good obstacle course for the elderly and partially-sighted residents. Security system - you can call the police any time day or night, but don't expect them to arrive. But if they eventually do come, the terrorisers have long gone.

You can report it to the local housing officer, who very kindly gives you a diary to record events - not very easy when you're 80-plus, terrified and being threatened daily with violence.

Now for the views - just what every elderly citizen needs to see - teenagers groping each other on the lawns. Or for a bit of light relief, mooning is guaranteed to get a reaction from the shocked residents - mainly ladies.

Once you have exhausted all supposed resources - approach the neighbourhood parents - they do a fine line in filthy language but they are very supportive of their offspring.

A possible solution to the problem would be to get the elected MP to listen to the complaints that he is well aware of and resolve the problem.

Talk about care in the community? This seems only to apply if you are a problem to society, not just elderly and trying to live out the rest of your life in peace and quiet.

Worried passer by (name and address supplied).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.