SIR - Eric Firth (T&A, January 14) lay the responsibility at the door of capitalism and Thatcher - synonymous, I suppose, to some - and the breweries for all our drinking problems, saying targeted young females were a large part of it.

As far as he is concerned, Maggie is responsible for all our ills. He never lays the blame at the door of the perpetrators of anti-social behaviour.

How can young females be expected to be clever enough to see they are being targeted if, indeed, they are?

I think female binge drinking is the result of women's lib, which has encouraged young girls and women to mimic their male counterparts, no matter how loathsome.

Philip Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley