I FOUND Peter Barron’s (Echo, July 22) piece about the cane very interesting.

I am against all forms of corporal punishment, especially the cane which was utterly barbaric and inhumane.

People remark ‘It never did me any harm’ - what utter rubbish.

It was over-used and misused on the slightest pretext or whim by so-called teachers who took a fiendish delight in its use.

Pupils today still get physically abused which goes unreported and verbally abused ie. shouting, screaming and ridiculing from these arrogant, toffee-nosed part-timers.

It’s bad enough that pupils still have to address these people as ‘sir’ or ‘miss’ in the first place - just who do they think they are? Most of them go to school dressed like something the cat dragged in, yet pupils have to conform to strict standards of dress code at all times.

The cane should be consigned to supporting tomato plants in greenhouses.

Thank goodness it was banned 30 years ago. Good riddance to it.

Geoff Gregg, Tursdale.