AS the Christmas and New Year party season takes off, it is encouraging to see schemes taking root in East Lancashire designed to combat the bane that spoils the pleasure for so many people - drink-related violence and anti-social behaviour in our town centres.

And among the projects that are actively making a night out in the town far safer is Blackburn's pioneering bouncers-on-the-buses initiative - proving to be a huge success after only two weeks.

Designed to get late-night revellers home safely and to curb potential trouble it provides buses to Darwen and Accrington at midnight, 1 am and 2am, with closed-circuit TVs installed on the buses and registered doormen aboard.

It is a unique, popular and affordable and complements the regeneration efforts designed to not only visually improve Blackburn, but also make it an attractive and welcoming place for everyone - by night as well as by day.

It is also encouraging that other councils are watching the Blackburn venture as their uptake of the initiative would add to schemes already in existence and in the offing to free our town centres of their reputation for drunken violence and hooliganism, hand them back to the decent, law-abiding citizens who have shunned them as a result and, in turn, improve their boost their night-time character and economies.

So far, we see a comprehensive and expanding network of closed-circuit TV systems making the streets safer and the threat of lifetime bans being imposed on convicted trouble-makers by pubs and bars in many of our towns is also adding to the impetus that aims to take back our town centres from the yobs. And another boost is in the offing as massive public backing is to plans to impose 'no drinking' zones in four East Lancashire towns, beginning with Accrington in February.

There is no reason why drink and violence should go hand in hand - and these steps to ensure that they don't are extremely welcome.