I WRITE to express my support for the couple in Runcorn who have had their granddaughter taken away from them by Social Services.

From what I have heard and read about this case, it seems that these people are caring and loving grandparents who have looked after their granddaughter since her birth.

How can social services justify taking the little girl from this loving environment and putting her into the care of strangers?

I thought that the Social Services' primary concern was for the child in these situations - it seems to me that they will cause her severe emotional damage by their actions.

My heart goes out to the grandparents, they must be completely devastated.

If social services have decreed that these people are not able to look after a child because of age, does that mean that grandparents should not be allowed to baby-sit or have their grandchildren to stay?

In a lot of cases the grandparents look after children to enable their parents to work - are social services planning to stop this practice too?

My parents are over 70 now and I am so grateful to them for the care and love they have given to my children.

Children can benefit so much from the relationship they have with their grandparents - I hope Social Services have considered the damage they have done and the effect this must be having on everyone involved.

Julie Seddon, Rogersons Green, Halewood.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.