I was interested to read your article on Brixington children playing football on the grass verge in Vansittart Drive and was reminded of an incident I saw recently.

I was in the Mudbank area of Exmouth when I saw five youths skating on the pavement. These youngsters were a mix of boys and girls, were varied in age and appeared to be having a lot of fun partaking in their chosen sport.

As I got into my car, I was aware of a lady talking to them, resulting in the youths picking up their boards and walking off.

As I drove past them, I stopped to ask what the lady had said and they politely told me that she had told them to move on, otherwise she would phone the police.

From my observations, this seemed quite unnecessary as they were some way from her house and appeared to be skating in a safe way and were not being annoying or abusive.

I would ask adults to give our youths a chance and not see them all as troublemakers.

I grew up in a time when playing on the streets and being able to enjoy the great outdoors was something we did everyday and I feel I benefited in so many way from this freedom.

We cannot expect our youth to respect us if we do not respect them and give them a chance to be children.

Sarah Taylor

Pound Lane, Exmouth.