A WIDOWED Ukrainian grandmother who had a brick thrown through her window has pleaded with her landlord and police to stop local youths making her life a misery.

Szitlana Kovalska, 42, said the brick attack was the "final straw" in a series of anti-social acts committed by teenage boys. A neighbour's window was also smashed.

Vandals have been banging on the windows and doors of Shaw Close in Wensley Fold, Blackburn at 11.30pm as families with children and pensioners are trying to sleep.

Police have visited Mrs Kovalska but she is afraid the misery for her and her young family will not stop.

She has lived in Blackburn for five years since moving from the Ukraine but tragically her husband died from cancer three years ago leaving her alone to bring up her 16-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter who has a baby daughter.

Staff from Twin Valley Homes, which owns the Kovalska's home, have visited her to discuss the problems. And police have said they will ask the local community beat manager to tackle the troublemakers.

Mrs Kovalska said: "At 11.30pm a brick smashed through my kitchen window. This isn't the first time something like this has happened.

"We are woken up by banging late at night all the time, it affects my children badly. We go to bed and think 'is something going to happen, is it going to be a nightmare?'"

"Nobody has been to see us from Twin Valley Homes until today. The police came and we asked them for CCTV but nothing has been done."

Gwyneth Sarkar, Twin Valley's director of housing, has asked residents to record the incidents of nuisance -- these can be used if the offenders who are causing the damage are taken to court.

And Mrs Sarkar said some footpaths used as 'rat-runs' by offenders to escape, may be shut off.

She added: "This is the first specific complaint we have had from that locality, although it is acknowledged there is a growing problem of nuisance there.

"We have spoken to a number of the residents and they have agreed to assist us by collecting dates and times of incidents that are unacceptable. We are working to see if we can close off one particular rat-run."

A police spokesman said: "This is obviously an on-going problem which has been passed to the community beat manager to look at ways of tackling the problem."