We've got nothing to do - that's the excuse all too often put forward for acts of vandalism by unruly teenagers.

In the Spring Hill area of Accrington police have had numerous complaints after incidents including criminal damage, snowballing elderly people, running over parked cars and even smashing every window in the community centre.

Faced with this problem and a clamour for action from local residents police took out an anti social behaviour order on a 15-year-old troublemaker as part of "an uncompromising application of the law."

The hope was that this action would send out a message to other youths that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

At the same time police met with teenagers to discuss what could be done to keep them off the streets after they complained they had nothing to do.

Officers contacted local sports clubs to look at organised facilities and even searched for a venue where music could be played after the teenagers said they wanted "a nightclub." But even after the youth who had been served with a court order left the area trouble continued.

Now police have had enough and said the young thugs can forget new facilities until they start behaving themselves. Quite right too.

The carrot approach may have its place but not when it appears to mean rewarding yobs for committing criminal acts.