THE problem Blackburn has had for years with town-centre street drinkers -- involving everything from aggressive begging and fights to discarded bottles and people being put off by their appearance and behaviour -- may be a difficult one.

But it was supposed to have been seriously confronted when four months ago a no-drinks zone was set up within the town's orbital route. Under its terms, outdoor drinking was banned and violators face confiscation of their drinks and arrest if they refused.

Yet, despite initial claims of success for this scheme, it is evident that it is not working -- because it is not backed up by police enforcement.

It is being routinely and brazenly flouted by groups of drinkers who congregate on the Boulevard -- the town's gateway. They have quickly realised the no-drinks zone is a sham.

As a result, the town-centre witnessed an afternoon of ugly scenes yesterday when this unpleasant element, some obviously drunk, were fighting among themselves, creating havoc with the traffic and even sleeping on the pavements. One was seen beating up a woman and there were two incidents of women fighting with each other.

This is disgraceful. It is a disgrace to Blackburn -- and the police. And decent, law-abiding people are fed up of it.

What are the police doing?

Evidently, they are not doing nearly enough to make this no drinking zone work. Town-centre licensees complain that they are not interested, do not turn up in response to calls about these drinkers causing trouble and walk by when do see violation of the drinks ban with their own eyes.

The problem is such that clergy at the town's Cathedral, fed up of drinkers, prostitutes and drug addicts invading its precinct and leaving rubbish behind, have even called for it to be fenced in.

The law is not being upheld and the police are failing to use the extra powers that people want and rightly expect to be used. Who rules the Boulevard -- the winos or the law?