I HAVE just read Chris Titley's column, Night of the scaredy-cats (February 14).

I have nothing to do with www.yorkiscrap.org but I wholeheartedly support them, while failing to see why a website's tenuous grasp of spelling should affect the validity of the issues it addresses.

I work in fiction publishing as a proofreader, but even I object less to the orthographically-challenged (look it up, Titley) than I do to the supercilious attitude of Mr Titley and York council alike.

Might I enlighten your ill-informed, blinkered columnist with the news that there is plenty of demand for a new, decent venue? Several hundred of us regularly travel en-masse from York to Leeds, Hull, and Nottingham in a convoy of 50-seater coaches.

He might also be interested to know that a group of us are trying to establish a new venue in York. We are not wasting time trying to get money out of the council: we plan to fund the venue ourselves.

All we need from the council is a license, but even that is never going to materialise precisely because www.yorkiscrap.org.

Antonia Wiggins,

Melbourne Street, York.

...CHRIS Titley comments on the unknown people behind the website campaigning for later venues (February 14). These faceless ones ought to do us all a favour and keep going to Leeds and Sheffield, and take a few more with them. Then we won't see the disgraceful and yobbish behaviour we have witnessed over the past couple of months.

December 22: trouble all over the city, due to drunken louts. February 3: 27 people arrested in a night of drunkenness and violence.

If these revellers want to enjoy later opening for pubs and dance venues, they should start behaving like the adults they are supposed to be.

To my mind, it's about time magistrates started doing what they are supposed to do and hand out stiffer sentences, instead of fines and community service

Then perhaps ordinary citizens won't have to put up with their nights being ruined by mindless yobs.

Colin Henson,

Moorcroft Road,

Woodthorpe, York.

...WHILE I won't be replying to the new website www.yorkiscrap, (February 10) I do have some suggestions that may be helpful.

I visited the once famous Micklegate run last Friday night and had a pint in the Firkin public house. There were only half a dozen people there at 9.30!

The reason for this seems to be that the 'muzak' consisted of nothing more than a very loud thumping noise, which became very irritating after a few minutes. So much so that I finally abandoned my £1.95 pint of ale for quieter pastures, thereby leaving only five customers to suffer it. Maybe we should bring back music!

Allen Denney,

Holgate Road, York.

Updated: 11:46 Friday, February 16, 2001