A FATHER today demanded more action to tackle Blackburn's Boulevard drinkers after revealing how a drunken man lunged at his 10-year-old daughter.

The incident, which happened on the day drinkers created havoc in the town centre for five hours, has prompted police and railway station bosses to launch an inquiry.

Ten-year-old Louise French was waiting for her father Colin to pick her up outside the station when a scruffy man, slurring his words, approached her.

Louise, who lives with her mum Andrea Hartley in Stuart Close, Darwen, was visiting her dad who lives on Preston New Road in Blackburn.

The youngster said she had since suffered from nightmares but was getting better each day.

She said: "He came up to me and said 'who's picking you up then?' I didn't reply but then he grabbed at me so I ran inside the railway station and hid.

"I was really shaking and frightened to death."

After hiding for about two minutes, Louise spotted her granddad, Arthur French, walking outside the railway station and rushed to him. Moments later her father turned up.

Louise described the man as bald and wearing a white tee-shirt and blue jeans.

Colin, 38, immediately contacted Blackburn police and said he was now warning parents to avoid a similar incident.

"What could've happened doesn't bear thinking about. It's bad enough that the Boulevard is full of scroungers coming up and pestering you, never mind this. It was broad daylight and I was only a few minutes late.

"I just want to warn other parents not to allow their children to go around that area on their own.

"I can't be sure that the man was one of the ones causing trouble because I wasn't there but Louise said he was drunk."

The incident, at 5.30pm last Thursday, happened around the same time police arrested two people amid disgraceful drunken scenes around the Boulevard area.

Motorists were forced to swerve to avoid drinkers who caused mayhem in the early afternoon, lasting until 6pm. One man was seen beating a woman and others were sleeping on the pavement.

The mayhem, just weeks after police pledged to use new powers to clampdown on street drinking in the town, prompted calls for more action from shoppers and traders.

A police spokeswoman said the girl would be seen by an officer specialising in youth interviewing. She said the incident was being investigated and appealed for any witnesses to contact them on 01254 51212.

Paul Bunting, commercial director for First North Western, which manages the day-to-day running of the station, said: "We are taking this allegation extremely seriously and an internal investigation is under way.

"This type of incident is extremely rare across our rail network."