THE mother of a teenage tearaway dubbed a "lone crimewave" today pleaded with magistrates to lock up her son.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, says the 13-year-old from the Accrington area has been in court more than 30 times in the last two years, mainly on burglary charges, and should be locked up to prevent him re-offending and to protect her other sons.

The boy was last in court on Tuesday on several charges, and was released despite the fact that he was officially of no fixed abode.

He was arrested again in the early hours of Wednesday morning and was due to appear in court today on another charge of burglary.

The mother says she has had little or no support from Social Services - the last time she had a visit from them was two years ago, she claimed.

After his most recent appearance before the bench on Tuesday, the 32-year-old woman said she had reached the end of her tether.

She said: "The courts keep letting him go, they're just too soft on him."

"When he got out of care and came home Social Services offered me the world because nobody would take him, and they have not helped me.

"I have been up for eviction once before and might be again - the neighbours are talking about getting a petition out now before anything else happens.

"My other boys are fine but because they are seeing their brother get away with it all the time, they are trying to play up a bit. But we can't let what happened to him happen to them."

The boy first started going off the rails, causing damage to property, about five years ago, and all attempts to help him failed, she said.

She added: "He was always problematic as a child from being about eight-years-old and I can't take any more," the woman said.

"Social Services were helping me then, but as soon as he went into care and they found it difficult to handle him, they left us to it.

"About five months after he came out they offered me outreach support but I didn't get it because they thought I was managing fine.

"Lots of people have been on to them, my mum's rung them telling them how much I'm struggling and eventually I gave up."

The teenager no longer lived with his family because he was a disruptive influence on his brothers, and had no fixed address, the woman said.

"Social Services knew he was on the streets and didn't offer a place for him anywhere. They said they couldn't do it because they didn't have anywhere for him. I am embarrassed by it and have begged the courts to remand him. I also have to think of my neighbours as he has stolen from them and my other children because of the effect on them.

"They are really unsettled and they can see what it's doing to me and it's upsetting them. It's just making them hate their brother. I'm terrified they will go the same way, I'm frightened to death of it.

"If you ground him he climbs out of the window, and you can talk to him until you are blue in the face.

"I have cried in front of him and begged him to to stop and he's promised me he will behave"

Inspector Steve Lee said the boy was a "lone crimewave" and was dismayed and surprised he had been released. He said: "I just cannot believe the court can release a 13-year-old boy of no fixed abode out into the community. It's outrageous, I can't see how the magistrate can do that.

"A boy that age needs somewhere to live. It's a breach of his human rights but also of the people in the area where he's going stealing. When he's inside our crime levels drop dramatically."

Nobody from Lancashire Social Services was available for comment today.