We have become used to seeing the park off Drift Road strewn with discarded food wrappings, plastic bottles, drink cartons etc, mostly left at lunchtimes by students.

The lack of a rubbish bin in the main part of the park partially encourages this, although it's no excuse.

For the past couple of months, however, there have been increasing numbers of empty beer bottles and cans thrown all over the grass by youths sprawled out in the park.

One evening recently I collected 30 green bottles which appeared in daylight that day.

What has prompted this letter is that there were even more today and quite a few had been deliberately smashed, with the shards of glass all over the safe play surface around the swings and slide.

There were more green shards almost invisible in the grass, waiting to slash unwary children or dogs.

I have seen the same green Belgian beer bottles (being heavily discounted by the case in shops) both whole and smashed at the Lincoln Road roundabout, along Masterton Road and Keste-ven Road and at the upper end of Empingham Road.

Always the same types of bottles, which are so cheap at present that youths are able to drink themselves stupid. Sadly there is no answer.

Retailers don't care who buys their cheap booze and it is impossible to police every open space and street outside the town centre.

It's crazy that underage drinkers who wouldn't be served in most decent pubs and clubs can buy cases of two and three dozen bottles of beer and cause mayhem wherever they choose.

Just when I had reached the depths of despair over modern youth I witnessed the wonderful Stamford Festival parade this afternoon with hundreds of enthusiastic children and teenagers taking part.

No, they're not all bad, it's just that the bad ones are worse than they used to be.

As I have already been threatened by yobs while out bottle picking, I make no apologies for asking for my identity not to be revealed.

Name and address supplied