RESIDENTS in Burnley are launching a new community group to tackle the problems that led to a group of young people being given court orders to curb their bad behaviour.

Stoneyholme and Daneshouse Action Group will be modelled on the successful Brunshaw Action Group, which was set up with aim of tackling anti-social behaviour.

The group will be working closely with agencies, including the police, to try to improve quality of life in the community.

Earlier this week, Masum Tahir, 19 of Cromwell Street, Alhaj Mamud, 21, of Throstle Close, Salim Baksh, 19, of Colne Road, and two 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were made the subject of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) at Burnley magistrates court.

They were part of a group calling themselves the Bengali Boys who, police said, were making the lives of people in their community a misery.

But Shah Hussain, one of the residents behind the new action group, said the orders were not the answer.

He said: "The problem isn't an individual problem, it is not just about the five people who were given anti-social behaviour orders.

"Along with this there is a large group of young people who congregate on street corners.

"This causes problems, especially in an area that is so enclosed -- there is only one road out.

"There are facilities, but they are not offering structured activities for these young people."

Mr Hussain, who is also the secretary of the Stoneyholme and Daneshouse Community Association, which runs the area's community centre, said: "Giving ASBOs does not make the problems go away -- now we need to take a much deeper look at the causes and see what we can do to make things better.

"The action group will be similar to the one set up in Brunshaw and will be working with the police and other agencies to help improve people's quality of life.

"We need to work out what the issues are in the community, talk about them and come up with ways to start addressing them."