WHERE are your children between 4.30pm and 10pm at night if they are not within your sight?

Well, if you are a resident in the Lymm/Thelwall/Grappenhall area I may be able to answer the question for you.

The chances are that they are a part of a growing number of young people between the ages of 12 to 18 that are congregating in various places, drinking alcohol, smoking cannabis, urinating and vomiting in either Euclid park or at the back of the Spar shop on Thelwall New Road, or on the field between Mottram Close and Ollerton Close.

The main offenders have been girls about 14 years old. Not only are they urinating in full view of everyone that comes out of the shop, but also they are verbally abusing people as they go past.

I understand that there is not much to do at that age, but it is the parents' fault for not getting their children off the streets at a decent hour.

As I was walking my dog past the shop the other night, I counted 22 youths in a stupor. The amount of bad language being hurled my way just for walking my dog was very distressing and I am now scared to go around that way again in case the abuse turns physical, who knows what these kids are capable of.

Now it seems that the law is on their side and they have a free run of our neighbourhood, to destroy not only the places that we live in but also to split communities by causing friction and bad feelings.

I urge all parents to smell the breath of their children when they come home at night, sit them down and have a talk to them to see if they can hold a conversation with you. Better still, know where they are at all times and with whom and doing what.

Start to act like parents should and bring your children up to be members of society that you can be proud of and do not take the easy way out and just throw them out on to the street until 10 o'clock at night. MRS SUSAN JONES

Thelwall