THE government hopes to help East Lancashire parents have a Happy New Year by giving them a helping hand bringing up their children.

It is believed the experts heading to 77 of the UK's most deprived areas will simply help mums and dads put an end to bad behaviour.

But opponents have blasted the recruits as "a move towards a nanny state".

WE all know that bringing up children is no easy task.

Well fear not. This year will see the arrival of supernannies in Blackburn, Darwen and Burnley - drafted in as part of a £4million government drive aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour.

Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council will decide exactly how to utilise the experts but the supernannies will offer a range of advice varying from one-to-one support at home to co-ordinating group sessions at community venues offering advice to parents. Advice will range from how to control difficult children to praising children and taking an interest in their lives.

Councils will also be given the power to order parents whose kids show persistently bad behaviour to attend compulsory parenting courses.

But doesn't telling parents how to bring up their children amount to interference? Not a bit, says the government, which claims the measures are in response to parent demand.

Home Secretary John Reid said: "The support we are announcing responds to the needs of parents and if we can help to build stronger families, then we will also create safer communities.

"This is about acting responsibly and recognising that good parenting can be learnt, bringing benefits to all. Intervention from public services helps not just the child, but also the family and the local community."

A poll by MORI, which quizzed 2,048 parents including those in Lancashire, seems to back up his claims, with 52 per cent of North West residents believing that "parents not bringing up their children appropriately" was the main cause of anti-social behaviour today.

Former Burnley woman Stella Reid, 42, is an original supernanny, known to millions of TV viewers across America as "Nanny Stella"

She left Lancashire 17 years ago after training as a nanny and has become a household name in the States, giving parents tips on how to control naughty nippers in the US show Nanny 911.

Speaking from her Los Angeles home, she said the people of East Lancashire should embrace the parenting experts "with open arms".

She said: "I think the general principle is awesome, fantastic. Parents should not see this as interference as although the experts will give and help set boundaries, it is the parents who put them in place."

Stella, who has just finished filming a third series of the show, added: "We can do more harm with what we say to kids than with what we do.

"People may wonder why you have to talk to children in a nice way and not just tell them to do something you expect. But respect is huge, to get it you have got to give it. The ideas of supernannies, if you like, is giving people a parent manual we have never had."

Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire County Council have welcomed the move, stressing that the scheme will build on work already under way.

Blackburn with Darwen Council runs parental survival courses at its eight children centres, giving advice on anything from promoting self-esteem in children to appropriate discipline.

And from this month the council, in partnership with health chiefs, will be running a two-year £120,000 scheme offering parents of children under eight free parental lessons.

These are expected to include behavioural issues and tips on encouraging children to learn through "play, praise and encouragement".

Similar schemes are also up and running in Burnley, Pendle, Ribble Valley, Rossendale and Hyndburn.

And a Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "We already have mechanisms in place to give advice to parents, including on children's behaviour. These range from our youth-offending teams working with parents of children, to advice available at the regions children's centres.

"We work in partnership with parents regarding behavioural issues from the earliest age as possible to try to stop problems before they start."

He added that the council planned to roll out parental courses for parents with teenagers following a successful pilot programme in Preston.

The council also runs family support centres across the region including Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale which offers support and advice to children up to the age of 18, including on behavioural issues, in partnership with family social workers.