Sir, – Thirsk and Sowerby are plagued by youths drinking on the Flatts fields and throwing bottles and rubbish by/in the river and damaging fences, defacing benches etc. My husband, whilst out dog walking in the summer, noticed two women and youths accompanied by two toddlers sitting on the grass. He retraced his steps later to find empties strewn about and also two dirty nappies - a bin was just a short distance away.

Volunteers do go round cleaning up after the litter louts, but is this the answer? However I was filled with despair on reading about youths leaving a trail of destruction, smashed bottles, broken chairs and fences etc culminating in the Millennium Mosaic being wrecked by fire. I was one of the volunteers who worked on the mosaic for weeks in 1999. We were taught by staff from Rural Arts and it was great being part of the team which created a local mosaic picture for the millennium. How do you keep things safe from the mindless minority whose only ability seems to be to wreck and spoil anything they can?

ANN CARTWRIGHT

Sowerby, Thirsk.