It's not surprising that Bingley traders are angry about the number of attacks by vandals on shop windows in the town.

This kind of hooliganism is both expensive and extremely frustrating. It isn't simply a case of having to replace the broken windows. There is often the inconvenience of being dragged out of bed at a late or early hour to deal with alarms going off or speak to police or to neighbours disturbed by the events.

Neither is the cost restricted to the replacement glass. Every time a window is broken there is a knock-on effect with the insurance companies, not just for the affected shop but for everyone in business in the town. Once a place gets a reputation for trouble and is perceived to be a higher risk, the ability of small businesses to make a living is hit by their insurers hiking up premiums to cover the cost of repeated claims.

But traders in Bingley need to be very careful about renewed demands for the Council to allow them to install shutters. Bingley needs all the help it can get to establish itself as a thriving small town. These efforts won't be helped by deserted streets lined with steel anti-vandal barricades which convey the impression that the town is a battle zone.

Instead they should look for more attractive means of keeping the vandals at bay, and step up their campaign for more police patrols and increased use of CCTV cameras so that those who cause damage can be caught, successfully brought before the courts and duly punished.