THREE teenage tearaways responsible for more than 60 incidents between them have been banned from Bacup town centre in the evening and overnight.

Magistrates granted Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) on Gary Herbert, 15, of Clough Road, Bacup, Patrick (Paddy) Mulcahy, 17, of Tong Lane, Whitworth, and Liam Duckworth, 16, of Rossendale Crescent, Bacup, and all are now subject to a series of restrictions.

During a hearing at Burnley Magistrates Court, the police solicitor Sue McLane said police had been notified of more than 60 incidents involving one or more of the lads dating back to December 1999.

The court heard they ranged from threatening to set fire to a car and a house to throwing a firework at a woman, threatening people with an air rifle and knife and being involved in violent disturbances when a passenger in a car was assaulted.

Even after summons were issued two of the three were reported to police for a further five incidents.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders pursued by the police were granted by magistrates in Burnley who heard Sgt Richard Clare say witnesses to incidents involving two of the three teenagers were too frightened to give evidence in court for fear of retribution.

The mothers of the teenagers and father of Mulcahy addressed the court to plead that orders were not made.

Chairman of the bench Joyce Ogden made the order for two years against Duckworth and Mulcahy but noted that their parents had tried their best to control their sons.

When they made the order for four years in respect of Herbert, his mother Alicia shouted out. Mrs Ogden said: "We have no confidence in your mother's desire or ability to control you. You may continue to be danger for a considerable time to come."

After the orders were made Sgt Clare said: "I am absolutely delighted and very pleased that the court has taken it as seriously as the public has. Incidents like these are unacceptable. We hope now these ASBOs give the public some support. The people of Bacup will be aware that these lads have previously caused a nuisance and we are relying on them to inform the police if they cause further nuisance or breach the ASBO.

"This should also serve as a warning to other youths in Rossendale if they behave in a similar way we will make further applications."

Sgt Clare told the court Duckworth had been reported for 14 offences since March 2000 and nine in the six months before the summons.

Since the summons, issued in May, he had been involved in four incidents at Healds on Union Street including throwing stones at the cashier. Among his restrictions he was ordered not to go within 15m of the store.

Sgt Clare reported Herbert had been reported for 38 incidents with eight in the six months leading up to the summons and one incident since. In one he threatened two girls, on aged nine, with a knife.

Although he signed an acceptable behaviour contract in December, two months later he was again reported to the police.

Sgt Clare said Mulcahy had been reported for ten incidents, seven in the seven months prior to the summons, but none since.

Philip Whitaker, defending, questioned Sgt Clare's authority to bring the prosecution which he said should have been in the name of the Chief Constable of Lancashire and described it a 'fatally flawed'.

He also criticised the lack of witness statements and people giving direct evidence and said a lot of the cases related to hearsay.

He said: "I would say the weight attached to all of this material is so little that is amounts to nothing."

Mr Whitaker described as 'repugnant' that fact the court was considering incidents which would be subject to a criminal proceedings.

Restrictions include: not entering the town centre from 6pm to 7am unless going to an organised youth club or project, not associating in groups of more than three people under the age of 18 in a public place, not throwing stones, bricks, fireworks or other objects at people or places and not damaging or making threats to damage property.