EVIDENTLY, something is wrong if vicious yobs can hang around an area of Accrington from 6pm to 11pm most days, drinking alcohol, frightening decent folk and trying to set a nearby church on fire several times.

All of this trouble in the Barnfield Street area and more was related to a police authority community meeting last week, coupled with the complaint that the louts know that officers can't touch them and so get away with blue murder.

Indeed, the police seem to accept that this is so -- when their response to these concerns was to say that the problem will only be solved if the community finds something for the young people to do.

The "there's nowt to do" moan of youngsters is, of course, nothing new -- but even so, it is no excuse for trouble making. Nor is it any excuse for the police to consider that the bother will go on until local people find something to occupy these kids. In the meantime, might the police at least find summat to do -- starting with confiscating the booze from under-age yobs and harrying them sufficiently so that they might perhaps find something useful to occupy themselves or at least go home?