Vandalism is one of the many blights of life in the modern age and it seems that any building left unwatched or empty for even a short space of time can fall victim to the thugs who seem to find it amusing or worthwhile to wreck the facilities that others rely upon.

The train station at Forster Square is an example of this. Many local people use the station on a daily basis but it has become the target of vandalism and damage because budgetary restrains mean staff or security cannot be there 24 hours a day.

In response train operator Arriva has asked for members of the public to keep an eye on the station, either those that use it for services or those that might be passing the vicinity at various times of the day.

The kind of voluntary action that Arriva is proposing apparently works well at other stations around the country. Arriva does make the point that it isn't asking members of the public to put themselves in danger by tackling the thugs, but just to report incidents.

Of course, it is to be hoped that any right-thinking member of the community would be rightly outraged at such vandalism and would immediately report the matter to the authorities if they saw such criminal activity taking place.

But it does seem as though the onus for protecting the train station is being placed on the public. The passengers should expect to have this very important facility staffed and cared for, but should they be expected to do the job themselves?

Perhaps it will give them something to do while waiting for yet another late service to arrive.