MY car broke down on Friday morning in a particularly hazardous place.

I was pulling out of Avenue Road onto Church Street, Malvern, and the gearbox went.

My car wouldn't go forwards and it wouldn't go backwards.

Being an automatic it couldn't even be pushed back into a safe place.

There was nothing I could do.

I was astounded by the amount of people who thought it was acceptable to hold down their horns at me and shout abuse.

As I got out of the car quite visibly distressed a lady waved her arms at me and shouted with an angry look on her face.

Not one person stopped to see if I was OK or to help me out.

I was on my own with a toddler in the back of the car.

I probably delayed people by about two minutes while they had to give way to oncoming traffic.

Think of the inconvenience to me and my family with two small children having to buy a new car just before Christmas.

Maybe next time these people see someone in trouble they could stop and offer help, or simply have patience and smile instead of shouting.

Sophie Reed-Darby

Malvern