Councillor Heather James must be somewhat naive if she really believes her assertion that the sarsen stones in Stanmer Park were removed for grass cutting (The Argus, November 4).

The stones weigh anything from a few kilos to several tonnes and I can assure her, in the 50 years or so they have been there, it has never been practical to move them for grass cutting.

Also, unless she can conjure up another 200 or so, there will be no hope of preventing joyriders from continuing to plough up the lawn in front of Stanmer House.

Recently, to add to this desecration, a 20-year-old tree has been driven into and uprooted and a car left abandoned on top of it.

Given the months and years this misuse has been building up and allowed to continue, I can only assume Brighton and Hove City Council condones this wanton vandalism.

While it was good to see the report of the Green Flag awards for a number of parks in the city, it should not hide the fact that, generally, the condition of our open spaces over the past ten years has deteriorated markedly.

As I judge Green Flag entries elsewhere in the country, I can assure the council that many authorities are doing significantly better than Brighton and Hove and until areas of security and maintenance are adequately addressed and funded, problems such as are all too evident in Stanmer Park can only become more commonplace.

-Mike Griffin, Pinfold Close, Woodingdean