It must also be said that your article does not state the time at which you went out and the fact that the trouble tends to occur when the pubs and clubs have closed.

I have spoken with the people in Fenland Walk and they are the ones who are at the sharp end of all this. It's their windows that get smashed on a regular basis and, as far as I can see, they are getting less than adequate protection.

In terms of the town looking grim and dirty, this you can put down to the traffic lights and the fact when any decent chain store wants to set up, our council do everything possible to stop it.

Shops look filthy because there is a constant trail of slow moving vehicles chucking out fumes and emissions whilst stuck at those ludicrous lights. The town looks grim because all that ever gets opened is a charity shop, building society, or clearance outlet.

What our town needs – and every town across the country – is a Police presence, not just through the day and up to tea time, but through the night.

The other thing to mention is CCTV is not the answer – unless, when people are caught you're going to hand out severe punishments.

At the moment you have very little Police presence at the right times and kids are not scared of being caught – a recipe for trouble!

My idea for the town would be to make the centre pedestrian-only, put in another bridge taking traffic away from the town and then allow nice cafes to open and well-known stores.

This would generate a completely different atmosphere in the town, attract more people and money and move undesirables away from the town.

Rob Swift,
March,
via e-mail.