RE YOUR item on the Rev Cansdale’s distress arising from the various forms of anti-social behaviour regularly taking place at the rear of what used to be Keighley’s most important church – Crackdown on churchyard anti-social behaviour (Keighley News, September 21).

Now, it is titled the ‘Shared Church’, but shared with whom? I do understand the church must open its arms to all sinners, but really, does this extend to this type of human vermin?

In March of this year, you included two references to the smiling volunteers in wellies and gardening gloves, who turn up to fill bag after bag of drugs detritus from among the graves.

Two years ago, you printed a letter of mine about an altercation I had with several men (of different ages), which took place at the very doorway you illustrate in your September piece. They were shouting and laughing, littering and spitting. When I asked them not to spit on the gravestones, I received a torrent of threatening abuse.

I was so upset about it I began to ask around – I was told it was well-known as a drugs pick-up point. That was two years ago. The Rev Cansdale sounds as if it has only recently been drawn to his notice.

My letter then also discussed the poor response I got when I phoned the ‘dob-in-a-dealer’ lines; they really were not interested unless I could supply them with names and addresses. How would I know? I have no involvement with them, other than having to witness their brazen day-in, day-out activity.

Is desecration of church property still a criminal offence? And do we really have to wait until the local vicar speaks up about it before anything is done?

Similarly, much as I sympathise with the eminent former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Barry Thorne, for his experience of being buzzed by idiot speedsters in West Lane – Puttin the breaks on speeding boy racers (Keighley News, September 28) – I worry that we have to wait for it to happen to someone like himself before anything may be done about it.

The ‘rat-run’ from Keighley town centre up West Lane to the Tarn and beyond has been notorious for years, and ordinary people have been reporting it as such, and nothing happens.

Perhaps, just perhaps, if the current Lord Mayor of Bradford stepped inadvertently in some dog poo, something might be done about ignorant dog owners as well?

CHRISTOPHER ACKROYD Bethel Street, East Morton