Am I the only one who was flabbergasted to read that the only “penalty” levied against those youths who trashed Gillgate in the early hours (The Press, January 16) was to clear up the mess they’d made?

It was purely by chance that the police caught, although there was excellent CCTV footage to record their behaviour.

I thought fines could be brought against people who littered our streets. Even those who drop a cigarette butt are supposedly subject to fines.

Has there ever been a clearer cut case of wanton destruction and widespread littering that merited more punitive action than having to undo the chaos they caused?

It hardly sends a shiver down the spine of anyone contemplating doing anything similar.

Are we to assume that burglars similarly caught will simply be asked to return stolen goods to their rightful owners?

Will the “Hunt for Vandals” The (Press, January 17) result in those responsible for widespread spraying of graffiti on walls end with anyone caught being asked to pop along when they’ve time to maybe clean it off?

Where is the financial penalty that will ground these louts for weeks, if not months?

I’m not expecting prison sentences here, but defacing our beautiful city merits harsher penalties. At least we had the stocks in the Middle Ages.

Graeme Rudd, Kerver Lane, York.