I FEAR for the future of the beautiful villages and towns in the Chiltern district.

Through leafy lanes, behind thatched roofs and outside historic pubs lurks something truly horrible.

Something, forever encroaching and growing in numbers. A breed eating away at the fabric of our communities.

This thing isn't interested in the village pub, the local market or the town centre. It cares only for fenced-off gravel drives, executive homes and black leather briefcases.

I'm talking about the wealthy commuter. That breed of middle-aged family man who has made his fortune in the city and has promptly moved out to raise a family and find a good grammar school.

Let's face it the commuter has got a lot to answer for in Chiltern.

Take the rolling hills away and driving through Amersham these days isn't much different from driving through a North London suburb like Southgate or Cockfosters. In fact it's hardly different at all.

The Chalfonts, still beautiful villages at heart, are becoming little more than a couple of spare dormitories for the London powerhouse. And poor old Chesham has become little more than an end-of-the-line ghost town.

And I've got news for those of you rolling your eyes and thinking 'here he goes again' it's not just me who's thinking this.

Last week I was talking to a very upstanding member of the community in Chalfont St Giles. This chap has lived in the village for more than 20 years. It is his home, he cares about the place.

As I sipped a drink with him and his wife in their back garden he told me more and more Mercedes and BMW types are rolling in and they don't care about anything apart from the proximity of the M25, Heathrow Airport and the Metropolitan Line.

You won't see these types in the local pub they prefer a wine bar. Home is a place to sleep and breathe fresh air, little else.

I'm sure many commuters, most of whom are only normal people earning a living, care about the towns and villages where they have made their homes. But in an all-too familiar scenario these days, many do not.

Just look at Gerrards Cross row after row of executive homes hidden behind locked gates, intercoms and security cameras.

The Chiltern district needs commuters, it thrives on them.

But take a look around. Historic Amersham Old Town is now little more than a restaurant village to feed the needs of city folk done good.

Londoners moving into our beautiful area should learn that if you move into the countryside you've got to adapt and play by the rurals.

Otherwise we'll all lose out.