I AGREE with Pauline Brown that the state of Hounslow's high street has been deteriorating for several years (Nurse's fury at state of high street after purse is stolen, Chronicle, February 12).
I have been living in the area for nearly 12 years and when I first moved here the high street had a wider variety of shops and felt more prosperous, safe and reasonably pleasant.
However, then the shops started to change. Marks and Spencer changed to an outlet store, pound shops began to proliferate and other banks and more specialist shops such as Millets disappeared. There is now little variety there.
Primark is the street's biggest store, and there are so many different nationalities on the streets from all sorts of backgrounds, the community feel no longer exists.
Perhaps people need to be given code of conduct guidance when they come to live in Britain and told that spitting (apparently common in some countries) and throwing down rubbish and cigarette butts is not on.
Perhaps they should also be told throwing clothes down on the floor in stores is not on too because that is a nasty habit round here.
My daughter is approaching her teenage years and, in its present state, I really don't want her hanging round the high street after school or at weekends.
A few years ago I had a pleasant vision of her visiting the new cinema and cafes in the Blenheim Centre - but where has that redevelopment plan gone? I guess the recession hasn't helped any of this.
What was Ms Brown doing carrying £900 in cash though?
After having had my bag stolen twice, once from a church hall during an exercise class in well-off Hampton Hill, I always carry less than £50 in notes, don't own an expensive phone and don't carry personal information in my bag.
A SHARP Church Stretton Road
Hounslow
