AT about 11pm on Friday, January 21, a resident's car parked on Albemarle Road, opposite the cricket pavilion, had the upper part of both its doors forced away from the car body. This caused one of the door windows to shatter.

A resident living nearby phoned the police who attended and took full details. The resident estimates there were about 30 people in the group damaging the car and that their ages were about 11 to 15 years.

Earlier that evening there was already a gathering of children, many of them drinking, and I am told that a resident phoned the community ranger to tell him at about 9.30pm.

The gathering continued until the incident at 11pm.

Many empty lager cans were left strewn about at the roadside and on the other side of the Albemarle roadside wall, together with an empty Grolsch 15-pack, an empty Carling eight-pack and several empty wine bottles and cigarette packets.

One thinks their parents would be shocked if they knew the nature of the activity the children were involved in.

The question is prompted: What provision for social gathering is there for these young people?

That they should choose to congregate on this inhospitable, featureless piece of roadway, on such a bitterly cold night, perhaps suggests it is lacking.

If it is, perhaps we should ask if our priorities for public expenditure are the right ones and perhaps even consider whether York's citizens are right to opt for the minimum council tax increase.

Robin Cooper,

Albemarle Road,

York.

Updated: 11:18 Wednesday, February 02, 2005