I am writing regarding the comments by Stanway parish councillor Laura Sykes against Stanway youths (Gazette, October 3).

I am a former student of the Stanway School and wish to ask why she is blaming the students for terrorising local residents?

It could be anyone, why blame them? She is giving the whole of Stanway School a bad name.

I am sure most of those students are completely innocent. Why put them through all this when some of them are doing GCSEs and don’t need any more stress?

Even the headteacher was shocked, as he said in the article. That school has an amazing record of good students.

I think the police do a wonderful job as Stanway is a good and safe place and I enjoy living here and have done for many years.

I think this councillor just hates young people as she has said many things about them in the past.

We should let them be a part of this community. We have one of the lowest crime rates – there is hardly anything in the papers about Stanway being bad.

I want to know what Laura Sykes dislikes about us youths.

Catherine Rand
Stanway

...Thank you Laura Sykes for accusing all of us Stanway students of being vandals.

I am currently in Year 11, sitting my exams at the Stanway School and none of us are yobs. How do you even know they are from the Stanway School? Were they wearing their school uniforms?

I enjoy living in Stanway with no problems from other youths. We are not yobs, we don’t throw bricks at people.

Obviously Laura Sykes has a problem with young people like myself. If you are a Stanway councillor, you should be working with us, not against us, to make Stanway a better place.

Remember, today’s youths are future voters.

Louise Rand
Stanway