SIR - What a pleasure it was to be back in the newly restored Berkeley Arms in Berkeley where both the young and not so young happily mixed together to see in the New Year.

There was a not a touch of trouble of any kind, which, of course, is exactly how it should be.

Sadly, the good name of the youth of Berkeley is being besmirched by the actions of only a handful of young yobs who hang around just a few yards from this lovely Hotel, on the seat under the Town Hall clock, until the early hours of the morning.

Their language is a disgrace, they may be seen using drugs freely, even in daylight, and any attempt to remonstrate is met with screams of abuse, threats and has even invoked genuine physical violence.

Whatever the causes of this behaviour, and they would seem fairly obvious, these few are spoiling the enjoyment of Berkeley by the many. The decorated Christmas tree in the Square was wrecked by them long before Christmas, and, after being reinstated, was pulled down again a few days later.

But can anything be done? I think we simply have to turn to our local police force for help and to ask for better surveillance and control of this rabble. I am sure that the police will plead that they are stretched to breaking point already.

Well, maybe. However, and perhaps it was just a sad coincidence, it is difficult to reconcile the lack of effective police action against this mob with the sight of two police officers sitting in the front of a large police public relations van parked near the Square around lunch-time on New Year's Day. Their main preoccupation appeared to be the eating of their fish and chips!

I can fully understand, if the police are indeed badly stretched, that difficult choices have to be made in their deployment. However, this scarce manpower resource could surely be more effectively used than this - for example in sorting out what is fast becoming a serious social problem in this small town. Now that really would be a result for the police public relations department!

Prof Phil Brookes Berkeley Heath Berkeley