The ignorant and selfish behaviour of some young people in our society is worsening. Good manners and politeness are becoming a rarity which some children must have inherited from their parents.

While shopping locally, I was assailed by (presumably) parents with abusive foul language as I had politely requested their children not to use our pavement as a practice ground for skate boarding.

The slamming noise is awful and damage has had to be repaired to the steps of business premises. It was not a question of not wanting it in our front garden so much as please keep it in your back garden.

I contacted Brighton and Hove City Council and was given helpful information on various locations of nearby places for the recreation of skate boarding which are immediately available and negotiations will apparently commence in September 2004 near Hove Lagoon to arrange a skateboard facility, the price of which is estimated at £180,000.

If the children are incapable of doing this, perhaps their parents should take the time to find out where there are facilities available to practice their children's recreation.

Then I would not have to run up my phone bill and suffer these indignities and people working in their business premises could carry on their work without unnecessary annoyance.

-Diana Kean, Hove