POLICE today vowed to carry on cracking down on couples who park up in their cars for sex next to a children's play area.

But a week-long operation to put an end to the problem already appears to be working.

Fed-up residents in Walverden Road, Lane Bottom, Briercliffe, Burnley, complained to police officers about a stream of young couples having sex in broad daylight as children played just a few feet away.

Police asked the residents to take down car registration numbers, while police also carried out regular patrols of the area.

Officers vowed to deal with the problem by tracing the drivers who had been spotted and then sending a warning letter -- or even paying them a home visit.

But since the action started, residents have reported no such incidents in the area.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: "I personally haven't seen anything since we were asked to take down registration numbers and hand them to the police.

"We haven't had any problems, and I hope they don't come back."

Police community support officer for Cliviger, Worsthorne, and Briercliffe, Dave Johnson, also said there had been no reported incidents since drivers were traced by their vehicles' registration number and sent letters warning them to stop.

The letters, which were sent to four different addresses, told offenders that if they continued to use Walverden Road as a 'lovers lane' then they would risk a visit to their home by officers.

PCSO Johnson said: "The letters and the press coverage we have had seems to have done the trick for now."

And he warned: "We will be carrying out regular patrols in the area to ensure these people don't come back."