AS teenage students living in Bury, my friends and I are often stereotyped into the unfortunate and largely inaccurate category of anti-social youths' or even hooligans'.

It is for this reason that I became particularly frustrated the other day when a group of friends and I were travelling home from college at about 4.30 on the 474 bus. A man, possibly in his mid to late 40s, got on the bus, clearly very drunk, and started verbally and physically harrassing myself and some students of about my age, shouting in our faces and hurling insults and even pushing and attempting to punch us as we sat totally puzzled as to why he was behaving in this way.

We didn't rise to the abuse and tried to calm him down, along with the rest of the passengers.

I think this is a perfect example of how young people can be accused of anti-social behaviour unfairly whilst men of his age are publicly causing such harm and upset.

I write this letter in response to the article in the edition of the Bury Times that outlined the complaints of Ramsbottom residents about so called anti-social teenagers'.

I hope that this particular case, which is by no means unique, reminds the residents of Bury and Ramsbottom that it is definitely NOT just teenagers that behave anti-socially and most of us wouldn't even consider acting in this way.

LAUREN, AGED 17 Ramsbottom