SAFE play areas for children including skateboarders are a good idea but please, not in residential streets!

Skateboards are noisy and when accompanied by whooping, screaming and shouting are definitely unwelcome.

Last year, a few children in this road thought it would be a good idea to use the pavements for skateboarding, and a couple of sillier ones used the road as well. Fortunately, after it was explained to them that what they were doing was not only illegal but dangerous for them and other people, they appear to have given it up.

There are several driveways where small, out-of-control children sitting on skateboards are not visible to drivers reversing out, and last year one of them very nearly went under a car.

The intelligent ones have obviously understood that pavements are not the place for skateboards, although there are one or two who need reminding - perhaps their parents haven't thought about the consequences of hitting cars or other people at speed - maybe they are not bothered?

Children should be able to get out and take risks, but in the right place and using the proper facilities and preferably well away from where they could cause injury and disturbance. NIMBY? No, commonsense.

MRS ANNETTE PAYNE, Walnut Crescent, Malvern Wells.