UNTIL now, police enforcing the new no-drinking zone covering Blackburn town-centre have adopted a softly-softly approach. But, starting today, they are now to strictly uphold the ban on drinking in the street -- in a bid to curb violence and anti-social behaviour caused by excessive drinking.

And they are determined to reduce the number of assaults involving glasses and bottles, with the council, police, hospital staff and licensees joining in the campaign to stop drinkers taking them out of bars and on to the streets.

It is, of course, high time that such crackdowns took place. For though Blackburn may have no more town-centre trouble at nights and weekends than other towns -- and its vibrancy is testimony of its popularity for a night out -- there are still too many people who are not certain whether the place is safe, especially in the older age groups.

For while, police figures last year showed massive decreases in town-centre crime over five years earlier -- when offences of violence alone had disturbingly totalled more than 3,500 -- the latest crime and disorder survey shows crime rising once more. And this, we are told, is due in part to a rising number of people coming to the town to visit its ever-growing number of late-night venues.

This trend is worrying and the introduction last month of a ban on outdoor drinking in the town centre is a timely step -- though there must be no relaxation of the strict enforcement now promised.

Nor is this necessary solely for the increased personal safety and sense of well-being of visitors to the town centre. For the council's regeneration efforts are not just about making the town centre look more attractive, but also entail raising its tone and, by giving it wider appeal, increasing prosperity and investment in Blackburn.

And if this drive changes the image -- however exaggerated -- of its town centre from a place where young drunks go about at night swigging from bottles causing trouble and fights to one which anyone can come and enjoy, then it will pay a great dividend.