ACCORDING to residents, their part of Burnley is being made into a no-go area by gangs of youths going on the rampage.

The situation is so bad, they say, that their lives are being made a misery and they are too afraid to leave their homes.

The teenage louts plaguing the town's Accrington Road area are swearing at residents and threatening them, breaking windows, damaging cars, firing catapults and throwing stones at passers-by and motorists.

And despite frequent calls to the police, the nightmare goes on while terrorised residents fear it will get worse as the days get longer.

Two simultaneous responses are needed. First, the police should swamp this area with patrols that give youths no chance to group into gangs, moving them on at every opportunity before trouble can start.

Secondly, pressure needs to be put on parents by neighbours, community workers and police to make them more responsible for their children and concerned for their whereabouts and the company they keep.

For, at the root of this trouble, is the question of attitude, stressed by the complaint that these nuisance youngsters have no idea they are doing wrong -- something that needs correcting at school and, above all, at home.