I was saddened to read about the recent vandalism to the street planters, and also to the washroom at the Savoy. Besides the thoroughly demoralising effect that such things have upon the community, there is the not-so-small matter that nobody anywhere has any money any more.

I don’t suppose that the vandals stopped to think much but, if they had, they might have realised that each and every cost creates an equal shortfall.

If some mindless yob up-ends a planter and it costs Monmouthshire £100 to put it right, that is £100 that will not be going to support that same yob’s great-grandmother in social care.

On the News tonight, not far from here some rugby pitches have been torn up by motorbikes. This creates an inevitable cost which might, I suggest, result in a biker’s younger sibling finding that their rugby coaching has been cut back.

These therefore are not victimless crimes.

Those who perpetuate such destruction need to realise that it is their nearest and dearest who might suffer the most.

Robert Harris

Monmouth