As Hallowe'en has increased in popularity over the past few years, I have made pumpkin heads for the porch with a low coloured light to give an eery glow and when children ring the doorbell, I open the door wearing a witch's hat to offer them goodies.

Some years I have treated as many as 32 children and have enjoyed the look of pleasure on their faces.

Last year was a bit different as we were babysitting for our grandchildren aged one and three so were at my daughter's house in Small Dole.

She left me a basket of sweets and chocolates in case there were any treaters in their quiet close.

At first there were a few young ones, all in fancy dress, but later there were a number of bigger boys, probably 12-14 years old, who had just one mask between them, which they kept passing around and sending two or three kids at a time to ring the bell.

In the end it disturbed the children, who started crying.

I did not give them anything else and sent them away.

While I was upstairs trying to settle the children, I could hear the lads shouting and swearing in the road where they were kicking beer cans around.

This year I was not expecting any problems as we had been invited to our friends' house for dinner.

We have recently added a wall with railings to the front of our house and high electronically controlled gates.

However, when we returned we found paint bombs had been thrown at our porch.

The people who sell those bombs have a lot to answer for and they should be banned.

-Barbara Clarke, Hove