A NEW crime-fighting team will take to the streets in a bid to reassure residents plagued by youths.

PCs Rachel Carbery and Lynsay Molloy will work together as community beat managers in areas blighted by juvenile crime.

PC Carbery will concentrate on Huncoat and Peel, where police have regularly been called to tackle nuisance fires and vandalism.

PC Molloy will be based at Moorhead High School, Accrington, after trouble flared between gangs of rival youths and led to rioting in the playground.

PC Carbery said: "Huncoat has its problems but these can be solved by the community working together.

"With regard to the youth problems, we will be taking a multi-agency approach and talking to the youth agency with regard to various activities.

"Hopefully, my introduction will also help the elderly residents to feel safer and become happier to come to the police and tell us about problems in the area and assist us.

"I am now looking forward to meeting the local residents and getting to know the area."

At the last Huncoat Area Council meeting, Inspector Phil Cottam told residents that juvenile nuisance problems in the village were up again but that crime generally was slightly down on last year.

The youth problems he attributed to the continuing demolition work on the Within Grove estate where there have been numerous emergency calls to fires and vandalism.