I WOULD like to take issue with the comments by Councillor David Barlow regarding the 10-minute firework display that concluded the classical music concert my family and I had great pleasure in attending.

I would point out that the finishing times showed respect to the surrounding vicinity.

Over the years, I have witnessed the demise of the public halls and change of use at the Gaumont, leaving us the only city in England without a large concert venue.

However, instead of worrying about a few fireworks, the Chairman of the Licensing Committee should be concerned about the disruption caused by granting late-night drinking hours willy-nilly to pubs and clubs in the city centre, which results in people in the vicinity being unable to sleep on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

The ordinary citizens must pick up the bill for wilful damage to the newly-planted saplings along New Road, broken bus shelters, phone boxes, vomit and urine in doorways. This is always accompanied by their national anthem "Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!"

And that's only St John's at four in the morning.

G R STEELE,

St John's, Worcester.