LOCAL councillors and the Government are always telling us of the need to provide leisure facilities for young people, claiming they only resort to vandalism because they are bored and have nothing to do.

In this spirit, they have spent our council taxes providing "youth"

facilities, such as a shelter, a skatepark and a ball court at Moorfield, in Belmont, Durham.

Since these facilities were provided the area has become a magnet for teenagers hanging around at all times of the day and night and the field and children's play area has been repeatedly vandalised and alcohol bottles smashed on all the paths.

In the past two weekends, all the windows of Belmont Community Centre on this site have been smashed. These individuals then broke in and set fire to the rooms housing the pre-school, destroying toddlers' artwork and forcing it to close while damage is assessed.

At the same time, the community officer for Belmont has been relocated because it is such a "low crime" area.

Is it not about time some of our tax money was spent on preserving the facilities that the rest of the community uses by providing proper security - eg, a proper police presence in the area and CCTV?

Name and address supplied.