SO, the planning permission for yet another take-away - it is one on Eastgate - has not been given. "Thank goodness," say the few flat dwellers that would have been affected. But the reasons given - smell, litter, noise - are the same ones we in Burgate have been suffering for eight years!! Will anyone listen to our pleas? No, is the answer. There's been loads of meetings, discussions and suchlike but still no action.

I live next door and the smell of garlic and smoke pervades my house almost daily. The noise of the music, especially the bass, makes my sitting room a no-go area at the weekends in the evening. The noise in the street continues to disturb my grandchildren when they come to stay and when it calms down on Burgate it starts up with the staff, etc, on Willowgate so disturbing me.

When England beat Denmark during the World Cup, the Pickering and district supporters celebrated outside my home until very late at night. I could understand up to a point - I felt elated myself. But the songs they sang - well, ditties - were so crude and disgusting I felt ashamed of these youngsters. I telephoned the police who promised to send a car. This they did, very promptly, but all it did was cruise down the centre of the road whilst the crowd changed their chant to "screw"! Not one police officer left the car nor uttered a word. In my view they do not dare.

Well, we in Burgate are entirely sick of the situation and, once again, would beg the local authorities and the police to take action. We thought there were new laws regarding street noise - are they only applicable in large towns?

DEIRDRE BUCHANAN

Pickering

Updated: 10:33 Wednesday, October 02, 2002