TODAY, Market day in Christchurch, we returned to this lovely town to find an unpleasant – and to us unexpected – dimension to the shopping area in the form of a gang of children, away from the discipline of school, hurtling along the temporary pedestrianised high street on their bicycles.

During a particularly unpleasant encounter, these young thugs attacked the shelves of a supermarket, upsetting displays (and customers) and swearing at anyone brave enough to object.

We witnessed the youngsters daring an elderly man to “do something about it” with the female gang members giving him rude finger signs and at least one young teenager shouting loudly into the man’s face, much to his distress.

These arrogant youths feel totally safe misbehaving violently in public, with no police in evidence and – when threatened with a call to police being made – a general response of “they can’t do anything; we’re too young!”.

This display does Christchurch, and indeed all other towns with similar problems, no good at all.

Tourists and foreign visitors, surely important to this area, were among dismayed witnesses of these antics, and it was a major topic in a local coffee house.

At least one family agreed that Christchurch had “gone down” in their estimation. God alone knows how these uncontrolled youngsters will “turn out” in future years; one can only fear the worst.

I plead with Christchurch Council and Dorset Police to police these areas properly, with the insertion of wardens or patrolling officers in popular areas during school holidays, before the arrogance of these young people takes an even more sinister turn.

DC TAYLOR, address supplied