FOR the sake of £15 an elderly Bolton woman's Christmas is ruined and her health and confidence damaged irreparably.

That is the sad toll today of the action of a stupid, unthinking youngster who mugged the 89-year-old spinster as she did nothing more than venturing out to post a Christmas card and buy a BEN.

How many more times do we have to ask that despairing question: "Just what is the world coming to?"

This week, a gang of yobs who harangued a dying man in Horwich walked free from a youth court. Nightly, local pensioners are too frightened to leave their homes and pretty scared inside them as well. All thanks to the selfish behaviour of youngsters.

Not only do they not realise the damage they do to the quality of people's lives and their health, but they don't care.

This latest, plucky victim of our uncaring society voices a natural reaction when she says they need a "damn good hiding" and blames the lack of controls in their upbringing.

Unfortunately, law and social trends now don't allow parents to chastise youngsters reasonably, and there appears to be little left to use to effect when discussion and argument fail.

On behalf of every reader of this newspaper, the BEN demands REAL action -- from the police, the courts, and from parents who must be made to recognise their responsibilities, and act.