WHEN I got onto a bus recently at Church Hill Centre, there was an almighty commotion going on between passengers seated at the rear.

Despite repeated requests from the young female driver, the noise did not abate.

It centred on a young lady asthma sufferer and a pair of pensioners.

The young lady who was having an asthma attack opened a window, the pensioners vehemently objected to this, even though it could be visibly seen she was in distress.

Between Church Hill Centre and the crossroads on the road up to St Leonard's Church, Beoley, the driver asked the pensioners to be quiet no less than three times as they were having an effect on her ability to concentrate on driving.

They did not shut up, they continued until after the young lady alighted.

During this time, another female passenger had tried on several occasions to get the pensioners to move and/or be quiet, to no avail.

Later, I had myself had enough and told the OAPs in no uncertain terms to be quiet, again to no avail.

The man showed a total lack of tolerance to the young lady's plight and started becoming racially abusive towards her also.

He was, in my opinion, arrogant, ignorant, totally racially intolerant, saying things like, ''They think they can come here and do as they please.''

There is no ''do as you please'' when you are an asthmatic suffering an attack. Unfortunately there currently is no cure for asthma.

Sadly, nor is there a cure for discrimination and racial abuse.

Name and address supplied