I wholeheartedly agree with most of the sentiments expressed by Mr John Spencer (Guardian, November 8) regarding the graffiti and acts of sheer vandalism in the Wrythe Green area of Carshalton.

He mentioned the disused toilets in Wrythe Recreation Ground, which have been closed for many years, but forgot to also mention the now very rarely used graffiti-ridden dressing rooms nearby.

Just across the road is William Street which is a graffiti paradise as seen by the amount of the stuff plastered all over the walls on one side of the street.

One of the houses in Brookfield Avenue had two front room windows smashed by ball bearings fired from a gun a fortnight ago.

A neighbour currently has her house up for sale. The estate agent attempting to sell the property has been so frustrated she has written to Sutton Council's environmental services, with copies to Councillor John Leach and Peter Pankhurst, chairman of the London Borough of Sutton Neighbourhood Watch Association, to say the feedback from prospective buyers is that the area is an unsuitable place to live, citing the amount of graffiti, giving the area a run-down feel about it.

Up until a few years ago, Wrythe Green, and roads such as Brookfield Avenue, were pleasant places in which to live.

In the LBS Neighbourhood Watch Association Newsletter, Chief Inspector David Chinchen wrote there is a clear commitment to tackle the persistent problems of graffiti and general anti-social behaviour that reduce the quality of life for some residents and visitors to the borough'.

Also in the minutes of the association's public meeting in June, Inspector Chinchen said the youth offending team gets the offenders (when caught) to paint over the damage caused by graffiti. Has anyone seen evidence or a sighting of this in their area?

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November 23, 2001 10:30