I TOTALLY agree with Hugh Cleverly that borstals and National Service should be brought back.

When I wrote to ask the Prime Minister and the Home Office why they had not considered this obvious answer to our country's problems, their reply was very disappointing, but not unexpected.

They said to bring back National Service would involve recruiting extra personnel to educate, discipline and train the scum on our streets to an acceptable level where they would be capable of defending our country. The costs involved would be enormous as they would have to start from scratch with yobs who had never known parental guidance, family values or discipline.

They also said that many of the thugs on our streets are as young as 13 and would be too young anyway for National Service.

The short answer is that National Service should never have been abolished. It was a totally wrong decision and we are now paying dearly for it.

JACQUI BROADBRIDGE, Warsash.