BURNLEY'S top judge has hit out at mindless gangs who make people's lives a misery on some housing estates and has called for peace.

Judge Raymond Bennett was making his comments as he sentenced three teenagers involved in a melee in Waterfoot, which left a man with serious head injuries.

Neither of the three in the dock, whom the judge ordered should not be named, were responsible for attacking the man. But the judge said the trio were "part and parcel," of the trouble which led up to it.

Judge Bennett said it was impossible in such cases to get to the bottom of the "mindless violence," which often broke out on the streets and particularly on some estates. He added they must be very unpleasant places to live because of people like the defendants.

He said youths like the three got it into their heads they could use threats of violence to get their way or to cause nuisance and distrubance to others.

Those responsible seldom owned up to what they had done, witnesses often exaggerated what they had seen and when the cases came to court months on, it was almost impossible to say who did what.

Judge Bennett said he could not be sure exactly what the defendants did and had to take their word, which he suspected, was watered down.

He told Burnley Crown Court he would not send any of the teenagers to custody but the case was a warning shot across their bows.

"I hope there won't be a next time. All we ask for is peace and sense."

Two of the defendants, aged 17, admitted affray and were given 60 hours community punishment. A third youth, aged 15, pleaded guilty to threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and was given an Action Plan Order. All are from Waterfoot.

The court had been told violence broke out after a new dad went to his girlfriend's flat in Waterfoot to collect belongings for his baby and was surrounded by seven or eight youths. Some, including some of the defendants, were armed with weapons.

The girlfriend had been so frightened by threats made to her partner she had left her home and never returned.

One witness was hit with a bar and punched three times in the face, the young dad and his friend were attacked by some of the group and when they and two older man left in cars, the vehicles were hit with iron bars.