SIR - On reading your article (Gazette, April 4) I should like to point out that the people who have complained about the Parklands skateboarding problems in Wotton-under-Edge did so after repeatedly asking politely for the young people in question to keep away from the cars, off our driveways, and to please sometimes go and annoy someone else

We ourselves have had rudeness and unnecessarily unpleasantness after asking the young people concerned not to skateboard on our driveway right to our garage and kicking the skateboards into the air - not knowing where the board would land.

They have continually caused threat to peoples vehicles with the dangerous use of the boards and also skating at great speed on the footpaths. The noise mentioned is only a small part of what we have had to put up with. Only this week a young person had her car damaged by a skateboarder running into the back of her car. This is not on. I am sure that there would be argument from any parent being asked for the cost of repairs. Some youngsters have flattened the beautiful daffodils planted in the verges and argued that 'they shouldn't be there anyway'. The parents of these children seem to be quite aware of the behaviour of their offspring.

I do not think anyone would have complained had the young people in question behaved in a reasonable manner and did not continually upset one particular area on Parklands and spread their activities elsewhere e.g. their own homes. Some of the skateboarders are from other areas of Wotton-under-Edge.

I believe that there is a play area on Parklands given by the builder - surely this could be made into a good area for the children.

Even better - and this is for the local and district council representatives - there is a very good field, not too big with the necessary slopes, just behind the fire station.

If the Gloucestershire County Council does not own it or the district council, then perhaps they could purchase it for the young people. This field would be safe, is in view to public and therefore safe for the children and is also near the swimming pool.

Since the only decent playing field was sold for a new school instead of building a new one on the old Blue Coat school site, the council should do this for the young people.

We, by the way, were not in favour of the small grassed area in front of Parklands being a 'No Ball Area'. We wrote and said that the area had been used as a play area for nearly 30 years by children and since there was a good vision play was causing no harm. That play area should be reinstalled for ball games.

Evelyn and Peter Linge, Parklands, Wotton-under-Edge