Last Wednesday evening, we were sitting in our garden, enjoying the sunshine. We were aware young people were playing football on Southwick Green, as we could hear them. As their game wore on, the use of foul and abusive language ensued.

I went out and asked them to mind their language. They apologised and I thanked them. However, immediately I returned to my home, the bad language started once more.

Again, I went out and asked them to curb their language.

I explained I had asked them to stop because there was a young boy playing on a bike with his father and three younger children playing football and that people were trying to enjoy the summer. I was told to f*** off and not be so f****** boring.

Intimidation was tried in order to get rid of me, so I stayed and watched them for about 30 minutes.

As a community, we need to be pro-active in dealing with this kind of thing because it is not acceptable to just let it pass by. People have the right to enjoy public spaces without being subjected to such aggressive use of the English language and the bullying and threatening tactics of an immature few.

Adur District Council has kindly provided, at taxpayers' expense, a Safer Adur Team to call to report instances of this type.

So far, repeated calls have resulted not in a display of "zero tolerance" but in the usual zero response.

Neither police nor council workers have been seen in recent memory.

-Name and address supplied