BOXING clubs could be the solution to problem youngsters on some of Preston's roughest estates.

Since The Phoenix boxing club, on the Larches estate, opened its doors for local youngsters police have noticed a drop in the levels of juvenile crime, which they put down to the boxing.

And one local councillor is now urging other areas to follow suit and introduce a similar scheme.

Councillor Kath Derbyshire, Larches ward representative, said: "I have always said that boxing brought discipline and when it was suggested we thought we would go with it and give it a try.

"Some of the kids who were causing the problems were the ones who joined the club. The very people who were causing the problems are the very people who are keeping it alive now."

At a meeting of residents at the Western Area Forum last week, it was revealed that when the Catforth Road club started, the Larches area had one of the worst records for juvenile crime in Preston.

But now the area has seen a dramatic drop in crime. When the club was set up in June last year, 24 incidents of juvenile nuisance were reported but by September there were just five.

PC Andy McVittie, community beat manager, said: "There has been a reduction in juvenile nuisance in that area. The boxing has certainly played a part in that.

Coun Derbyshire said: "We will not solve the problems of the estate unless we solve the problems of the youth. The surprising side of it was the discipline that was generated. It comes from the children themselves. That has a knock-on effect in everything in life."