I RECENTLY read an article in the Bury Times in which attention was drawn to the wilful destruction of trees by children in a local park. This is also happening on Red Bank playing fields in Radcliffe and there seems to be widespread apathy regarding this environmental slaughter.

One beautiful tree is now stripped of bark, its branches broken and butchered, and six-inch nails hammered into the trunk to provide footholds for the little darlings whose parents cannot impose proper discipline. This tree, now yellowing and dying, has been a tree house (with parents helping) had ropes tied to it for a zip-slide, and even been set on fire. There is rubbish permanently strewn around - lengths of timber, rope etc.

Now that this tree seems to have served its purpose the mini-hooligans have moved on to the three other trees in the middle of the field. It really is a sad sight to see a once lovely tree abused and dying - and irreplaceable - all to provide cheap entertainment for children armed with hammer and nails. This is a tree on public land, but they seem to think that they have a right to do what they want, where they want.

I spoke to the council's security man who said they were powerless to act if the children concerned were under 10, that they had to be caught in the act, and that children do climb trees and had to play somewhere!

If children are not brought to account for this type of mindless act, then should we then excuse other damage to public property on similar grounds? I feel concerned that there is not the same strength of feeling about this abuse of open spaces and public amenities that there is about dog-fouling.

There are now bins for dog mess on this field - which responsible dog owners have long been asking for - but three days after they were put in place they were both full. May I ask how often they will be emptied?

Trying to get someone, somewhere to stop environmental abuse on public land is met with the same excuse: "There's no money." Well, come the next election, there'll be "no vote" from me. I might as well be apathetic also.

RELUCTANT RATEPAYER

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.