I WOULD like to thank the person who, for no obvious reason, ran a sharp object the length of my new car while it was parked outside my house, on April 17.

I am disabled and have been since just before my seventh birthday. Most days I am in a lot of pain, so my car is my lifeline.

It is hard to describe my feelings when I passed my driving test. Suddenly, I had freedom and independence. Life was beginning to pick up a bit.

Now, for the time being, I am again dependent on others. Paintwork jobs on cars take a lot of time as well as money.

I did nothing wrong to become disabled - just contracted an illness. Is someone so riddled with jealousy that they have to try to destroy part of what I have achieved? Perhaps the person who did this simply did not know my circumstances or perhaps even cares.

I do not wish to know who did this, but you know who you are. I hope you can live with yourself. It would be charitable of me to think that you could post a note of apology through my door, but I think that is highly unlikely.

For the time being, I may be down but not beaten. I have come too far for that and no mindless vandal will ever stop me getting on with my life.

JENNIFER LEWIS, Ernlouen Close, Blackburn.

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