HOUSING tenants are being threatened with eviction if their children drink on the streets in a bid to clamp down on gangs of underage boozers.

Police and housing company Twin Valley Homes are running the joint campaign in the Bank Top and Wensley Fold areas of Blackburn over the Easter holidays.

Operation Enforce was devised after increased numbers of teenagers were seen drinking on the streets at night since the clocks went forward.

And Twin Valley, which owns 8,000 former council houses, has vowed to use the "unique" clampdown in other areas if they experience similar problems.

Chief executive Phil Richards said: "If a youngster is caught drinking, the police will talk to their parents who hopefully will pull them into line. If this doesn't work we will consider eviction, which is one of the powers we have. They are the ones ultimately responsible for their child's behaviour.

"Action like this might sound harsh, but it really can affect people's quality of life and we have to do all we can to sort it out."

Police will mount covert and high-visibility patrols throughout the two-week break to catch children in the act and letters are being sent to tenants in the area advising them of the clampdown.

In the past two weeks staff at St Barnabas and St Paul's School, in Oakenhurst Road, Bank Top, have had to clear broken glass bottles from the playground around eight times.

Residents told them that teenagers have been sitting on the roof of the adjacent Ashworth Nursery to drink and throwing their empty beer and alcopop bottles over.

School headteacher Elaine Smith said: "We have had to clean the broken glass up before the children arrive several times to make sure no one was hurt.

"This scheme is great news and we welcome it."

PC Paul Meads, community beat manager for the area, said: "There have been a few problems in the areas and rather than let it go on, Twin Valley Homes wanted to do something hard-hitting.

"We are working together and getting extra officers in to patrol.

"We will initially patrol over the Easter Holidays, but if it is a success, they will continue permanently."

It is not the first time tenants have been warned over anti-social behaviour -- as well as tackling nuisance neighbours, the housing association has also clamped down on people with scruffy gardens and has evicted one person for refusing to clean up.

Mr Richards added: "When we took over the council's housing stock, we made a pledge to provide homes people could be proud of, and that isn't just the houses, but the community at large."

Wensley Fold councillor Kate Hollern said: "A lot has been done in the community to tackle juvenile nuisance but there are still pockets of problems with teenage drinkers.

"I welcome this partnership approach because it shows the community working together."