SO, the people at Age Concern think elderly people are frightened to go out after dark. They are wrong they are also afraid to go out in daylight.

Many elderly people get themselves indoors by 3.30pm all year round, rather than be intimidated by the hooligans who have just got out of school.

This summer, like every year, these same louts will consign elderly residents indoors for days at a time because they are afraid.

This summer, like every year, they will have stones or eggs or rubbish thrown at their doors and windows.

This summer, like every year, they will suffer damage to gardens and property which will cost a significant amount to rectify.

Many elderly residents dread the summer. It simply extends the time these louts are on the streets.

The vast majority of this and anything else the bored local youth can dream up will be suffered in silence by the elderly, who gave up contacting the police long ago. They simply got tired of waiting to become a police priority.

Communication with the police is so bad that getting a crime number is virtually impossible. Therefore the elderly pay for these repairs out of their own pockets rather than through insurance.

If anyone thinks this is an exaggeration, come to leafy Liden and ask the OAPs. Or ask at the local shop, where the same hooligans are in the process of demolishing the roof.

It's about time we got a police force with the same agenda as the general public. If only they would bring the same zeal to our problem that they do to catching motorists! We could look forward to a happy retirement!!

H A ELLIS

Liden