The piece 'Drink up and pay up' made me react with anger. I regularly go out into town for a weekend drink.

However I would not class myself as a 'binge drinker.' I like to think of myself as a respectable young chap who goes out with the one and only intention of having a good time.

When I read that ideas are being put forward such as increasing the price of drinks in order for more resources to be available for the policing and tidying up of streets seems totally unfair.

I work on average a five and a half day week in order to be able to reward myself with a few of the finer things in life such as a few beers and good food at the weekend.

To be told maybe that in the future my hard earned money is going to be taxed at around another five per cent every time I go to the bar for a drink is just unbelievable.

Around 18 months ago I was seriously injured in an unprovoked attack by a gang of people but not in Swindon.

Unfortunately the injuries I received were so serious I lost sight in one of my eyes. The people that did this to me were later found all to be unemployed louts who are already living off tax payers. By again penalising the hard working people of the town because of the louts is an outrage.

I would ask ideas are re-thought and more effort is put into making the trouble causers pay. Ideas such as longer prison sentences, curfew (tagging), higher fines to be imposed on the trouble causers. Make the culprits pay.

PATRICK PEARSON

Middleleaze