CRIME in an East Lancashire trouble hotspot has dropped by nearly 30 per cent in the last six months.

The clean-up on the streets coincides with the opening of Net Works -- a drop-in centre for teenagers in a former dress shop in Blackburn's Mill Hill.

It was set up a year ago to target youngsters who instead of hanging about on street corners could get involved in out-of-school learning they would enjoy.

An important part of the scheme has been the 12-month Get Sm-art project, where artist and tutor Terry O'Toole, of Action Factory Community Arts, has taught teenagers how to paint, draw and perfect their print-making techniques. Action Factory runs in partnership with Blackburn Council Youth Service and the Groundwork Youth Inclusion Programme.

Terry's year of hard work culminated in an exhibition called The Young People of Mill Hill, which was staged at Net Works. Several of the youngsters' paintings were sold, and Terry said: "The response to the exhibition and the project work was very positive."

Net Works provided 50 young people -- aged from 14 -- with a place where they could have a go at something and not be afraid of failure. "It gave them a sense of pride in their own learning achievements and allowed them to develop confidence, both in themselves and each other," Terry, a former teacher at Blackburn College and Moorland School, Clitheroe, added.

The teenagers learned all about basic drawing skills, colour mixing and paint application. And at the same time they developed their visual perception, imagination and creativity.

Blackburn with Darwen Mayor Councillor John Williams, who grew up in Mill Hill, went to the exhibition and said: "It's splendid. The kids must be really proud of their achievements."

A Blackburn police spokesman confirmed that in the last six months the number of reported crimes in Mill Hill compared to the previous six months had dropped from 98 to 63. Meanwhile, one of the Net Works youngsters, John , aged 14, said: "Going to the worskhop kept me out of trouble."