SIR — We have been visiting Minehead for years and now being retired we had decided to move to Minehead to enjoy our retirement years.

on Saturday November 21,  we came to take another look at a property we were going to buy.

At 5.30pm that evening my wife went into the town to buy a few items, and, while walking along minding her own business in The Avenue, she was verbally abused and propositioned by what she can only describe as a group of drunken men.

She abandoned her shopping trip and returned to the hotel very distressed.

The following morning at breakfast we spoke to the hotel owner about this very unpleasant experience my wife experienced and he explained it was an adult weekend at the local Butlin’s holiday camp.

After much thought my wife and I cut short our stay in Minehead and have regrettably withdrawn from our proposed house purchase.

The agent, although very sad to hear of our decision and reasons for not buying a house in Minehead, admitted it was not the first time that people had pulled out of sales due to the behaviour  that seems to come as “accepted” as adult weekends.

I believe Butlin’s is a large employer in the town and I would imagine that these weekends bring a lot of money to the town, especially the public houses!

But we were shocked to hear it is almost a weekly event at this time of year and the locals just keep out the way, the council just see the money coming to the town and the police seem powerless to do anything about it.

We wonder how many people looking to move into the area are like us put off by such unsociable behaviour that seems to be accepted as the norm.

We are voting with our feet and we are very sad to say that we will not be back.

F Owen,

Long Road,

Sherborne.