I have friends living on the Braypool Lane travellers' site in Patcham and we regularly take taxis to and from there.

Whenever our funds allow, we make a point of tipping the cabbies and we're always friendly and have a chat in an attempt to break down some of the stereotypes surrounding the people who choose this way of life.

It is a real shame a cabbie got ripped off ("Rebel yell", Opinion, May 18). No one should have to put up with being intimidated like that.

Could it be possible the people he dropped off - seeing as they came from Brighton station - did not actually live there?

We do sometimes encounter reluctance on the part of cab firms to pick us up from the site so, whoever these people were, they are not doing any favours for any of us.

It just seems a bit short-sighted to tar everyone at Braypool with the same brush. If we had been in his cab, he would have had a very different experience.

-Vicky Simes, College Terrace, Brighton