TWO teenage girls smashed shop win-dows in Burnley town centre during a drink-fuelled vandal ram-page, a court heard.

The girls, aged 16 and 17 from Burnley, pleaded guilty at Reedley Youth Court yesterday following the wrecking spree which caused thousands of pounds of damage.

Windows belonging to Woolworths, River Island, Boots and Vodafone in Charter Walk shopping centre and the Stepping Stones project, Westgate, were broken, costing £15,000 to repair.

The 17-year-old girl pleaded guilty to six charges of criminal damage and the 16-year-old girl three of criminal damage and also being drunk and disorderly.

The girls were both made subject to a six-month referral order and ordered to pay £100 compensation each to Stepping Stones.

Chairman of the magistrates, Brian Chaddock, said to the girls: "Your behaviour was disgraceful. You were both drunk and caused a lot of damage. There are no mitigating circumstances in your defence. But your risk of re-offending is low, though you both need to start acting like adults".

Julie Reddish, prosecuti-ng, told the court the girls had drunk three litres of cider each at a house in Westgate.

She said: "They were asked to leave the house at about 7.30pm and had taken exception to this and had gone across to the Stepping Stones premises nearby, where they smashed a lock of a door and smashed windows.

"The girls then walked to the town centre and used a large brick to break more windows in the mall area of Burnley.

"They had been drunk to such an extent they were abusive and shouting at the bus station and were approached by a police inspector who took them to the police station.

"They then came forward and admitted causing the damage to the town centre shops."

Jasmine Basnyet defending said the girls admitted they had been "stupid and reckless".

She said: "They put it down to the amount of alcohol that they had consumed.

"The 17-year-old girl had many problems in the past including self-harm and had been visiting a psychiatrist.

"She had turned to alcohol but realised that it would not help her, and is now willing to co-operate with any agencies that are willing to help her."

The 17-year-old girl wrote a letter to the court saying how remorseful she was of her actions.