At the risk of over-using the Guardian letters page for material, Shoreditch ‘community chair’ Anissa Helou is also silly.

The part of Shoreditch around Hoxton Square, which Ms Helou claims is "one of mayhem, where anti-social behaviour, crime and disorder and vandalism are rife", has gone from dying and deprived to one of the world’s most happening and dynamic places, almost entirely through the impact of the club and bar scene. It’s not a rough, violent area like some provincial town centres allegedly are: aside from a bit of shouting and pissing in the street, there’s literally no evidence of any of the things Ms Helou suggests.

Shoreditch is a testimonial to the power of nightlife to reinvigorate horrible areas and turn them into agreeable ones, as well as a living advertisement for liberalised licensing laws. Ms Helou’s comments imply blind puritanism bordering on lunacy, which appears to be a common trait among people who oppose licensing extensions.