I WOULD be saddened by closure of any of the public footpaths crossing the St Peter's grounds and question whether they present any more of a security and safety risk than other footpaths around York.

My wife and I are regular users of the footpaths which provide a peaceful, safe and secure route into the city from Clifton.

The alternative route along Bootham is often congested whilst the Esplanade is exposed and regularly flooded.

The comment that these footpaths seriously compromise school security and create a dangerous environment is alarmist.

The school has multiple entry points around its perimeter which would prove impossible to secure. Anyone intent on gaining entry and causing damage would encounter little difficulty even if the footpaths were closed.

Concerns regarding burglaries and vandalism can be applied to all highways footpaths and cycle routes throughout the city. One only has to observe the damage inflicted on a weekly basis to the telephone box on Bootham adjacent to Grosvenor Terrace to realise that.

If all public ways in York were to be closed because of the threat of vandalism we would all be confined to our houses.

The school concern regarding drug taking is valid, however this is a problem all schools have to cope with in this day and age.

Pupils of St Peter's are likely to encounter drug users wherever they wander, be it down to the boathouse by the river or crossing Clifton Road.

With the police aware of the concerns and the school already equipped with 24 hour CCTV surveillance it seems to me that closure of the footpaths will achieve little other than alienate the school from its neighbours and inconvenience the good people of Clifton.

HL Harris,

Burton Court,

Burton Stone Lane,

York.

Updated: 09:47 Wednesday, November 10, 2004