OVER the Christmas period I took my grandson to see the Christmas lights in the town centre between 5:30 and 6pm. I had been pre warned not to leave it any later as the lager louts, both male and female, start to roam around town.

We stood on the revamped town hall square completely alone. The lights and tree are beautiful but isn't it a pity that we, the elder generation, are practically banned from the town centre at night. With all the pubs, clubs and caf bars only catering for 14 to 20 somethings, many who come in from other towns, the older generation are too intimidated to go there.I don't know what the cost is for the festive extravaganza but I presume the cost comes partly from the council tax, which the older generation pay and not the young people from out of town.

Perhaps next year the council should decorate all the giant supermarkets that stay open 24 hours because they are the only relatively safe places we can go at night. Better still, why not pay the bin men to remove the vast amounts of rubbish we accumulate over Christmas and have to wait 2 weeks to be removed.

Grumpy old man (name and address supplied)