THE sight of handfuls of teenagers congregating in town centres on Saturday afternoons is hardly new or unique to East Lancashire. But when handfuls become large crowds - as has happened regularly in Blackburn shopping centre at weekends for a long time- a problem is created.

And it's a blight which should have been sorted out a long time ago.

The fact that the police and the council have singularly failed to do much about it means that we now have a situation where hundreds upon hundreds of East Lancastrians boycott the town centre after 2pm on a Saturday.

With that backcloth it's not surprising that we see gangs of 50 or 60 teenage so called "Goths and Moshers" regularly blocking the newly created pedestrian showpiece of Church Street.

No one is saying the youths are malevolent but shoppers, especially the elderly and families with young children, do find their presence intimidating.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's town centre manager describes the issue as "very sensitive" apparently because he says the teenagers come from "very good backgrounds."

Poppycock.

As the Chamber of Trade and shopping centre manager point out, the town centre is for shoppers.

And the police and council must act fast and use the new powers they now have to disperse intimidating crowds and win them back.