STREETS on housing estates are set to become booze-free zones in a bid to halt teenage street corner drinkers making residents' lives a misery.

More than £100,000 has been secured to extend Operation Crystal Clear, which banned drinking in Blackburn town centre earlier this year.

The estates would become the first in Lancashire to be covered by the bans, which councils were given the power to introduce in last year's Crime and Disorder Act.

Consultation is being carried out with people in the Audley, Whitebirk, Infirmary, Queens Park and Shadsworth areas of Blackburn to establish whether a blanket ban or several smaller bans would be more effective.

The £109,000 of government cash for the scheme was given to Blackburn with Darwen Council to improve quality of life.

Other bids for funding to roll the ban out into Darwen town centre are being submitted.

Coun Maureen Bateson, in charge of consumer affairs at the council, said: "Funding has been secured to take the project into other areas of the borough.

"As well as just street drinking bans, we will be looking to spend the money on educating youngsters about the dangers of alcohol, and training licensees and bar staff to know when to stop serving people who have had too much to drink.

"This project will be fundamental to our plans to reduce violent incidents and improve the quality of life for residents."

Moira Barrett, chairman of the Twin Valley Tenants' Federation, which represents households across the borough, said: "This is welcome, particularly in Blackburn, where teenage drinking can be a real problem on some estates.

"They smash their bottles when they are done and people are injured because of the glass everywhere."

It is likely that police would enforce the ban in areas where problems arise, while the ban would also help community officers to deal with street drinkers.

In Infirmary Street, Blackburn, four counts of anti-social behaviour are reported every week,with residents claiming many of those involved are drunk.

The first crackdown on drinking in Blackburn town centre has been hailed a success by police and councillors, less than three months after it was launched.

The aim was to reduce the risk of violent assaults using glass by making sure people did not take bottles and glasses out on to the streets.

At the same time, police have also been able to crack down on the daytime drunks who often intimidate shoppers. Anyone who ignores the ban is open to arrest.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Smith, of Blackburn Police, said: "The people who use the town centre during the evenings are, on the whole, respecting the ban. We have only had one person arrested for breaching the order."