YOUNG Muslims celebrating the festival of Eid in a mosque were urged to stop congregating in Blackburn shopping centre by community leaders.

The appeal followed prayers at the Randal Street Mosque, off Whalley Range, and was today praised by police, who said it was a common sense approach to tackling the problem.

Community leaders decided to address the teenagers among the audience of 1,000 people after complaints highlighted in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph about Asian youths congregating in the town centre.

It followed similar reports of other groups , the so-called Goths and Moshers, hanging around Church Street.

The appeal was made on Sunday morning on Eid-al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, obedience and commitment to Allah, which happens the day after the Hajj pilgrimage.

Coun Hussain Akhtar, who represents the Shear Brow ward, addressed the teenagers in the congregation. He said: "We are asking the youngsters to listen to us and to look after the town centre with respect, especially because we have had a few complaints.

"We don't want anybody giving us a bad name. We asked the youngsters to stop hanging around or to come and speak to me about what they want.

"One or two of the youngsters want something more in the town for them to do."

He said he would be going out into the town centre next Saturday to speak directly to the youths if any were still congregating.

Coun Akhtar also revealed that he would be meeting Arnold Wilcox-Wood, shopping centre manager, to discuss the problem and the possibility of finding the youths other things to do. He is hoping for a similar solution to that arranged for the Goths and Moshers.

They are now housed every Saturday afternoon in the Cellar Bar, in King Street, which offers them a live band and non-alcoholic drinks.

Sergeant Phil Davies, who is in charge of town centre policing, said: "We more than welcome Coun Akhtar's comments and the common sense approach to look for some diversion for the youths, rather than have them hanging around the town centre."