I SYMPATHISE with your correspondents - 'Disbelief at article' and 'Caring community on estate' (Letters, May 6), about what they consider is misrepresentation by the Press.

Of course there are friendly, hard-working people on the Princess Gardens, Feniscowles, and St James's, Darwen, estates who keep homes and gardens in decent order.

But what about the other side of the coin? Bored youths - and some girls - don't wander around aimlessly, they get stuck in. It's usually the elderly, the timid and those who remonstrate on their own who are on the receiving end of these aimless young people.

They don't just make life difficult for the residents, they destroy property and are very partial to breaking glass. They attack and assault at every opportunity. They spread terror and fear.

You can hardly blame people on the receiving end of this urban terror for thinking they live in the Bronx, and for complaining to the only people who take any notice of them - the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

In many cases, this mayhem is probably taking place within 300 yards of your two complaining correspondents' front doors.

What's to be done? The housing department is not much help and the police haven't sufficient manpower to really sort out the problem. It's down to the residents themselves.

They should patrol their areas as a group and arm themselves with a couple of cameras and, if possible, a video camera and tape recorder, because these aimless young people do not want to be identified breaking the law.

The only way to deal with this problem is to face them for as long as it takes.

Name and address received

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