A PICTURESQUE village is being ruined by tearaway teenagers, according to a Burnley councillor.

Worsthorne is not usually associated with gangs of unruly youths but a string of incidents this year has worried Burnley councillor and chairman of the parish council Tony Lambert.

In July a petrol bomb and dummy hand grenade attack were made on the Bay Horse pub.

Three milk bottles containing fuel were thrown through a back window of the village pub and a hand grenade-like object -- thought to be a toy -- was thrown through a window at the front of the pub in Church Square.

The petrol bombs failed to ignite properly and only very slight damage was caused.

The incident was reported by licensee Janis Chisnall when she found them on returning to the pub from her home in the village.

On Saturday evening obscene graffiti was sprayed outside the pub and the Union Jack flag, erected outside the Reading Room in Church Square, was stolen.

Mr Lambert firmly believes that the lack of a village bobby is leading to a rise in crime.

He said: "We have no police cover at all and it is unlikely that we will ever get a policeman back here at all."

In the past Worsthorne village had its own community policeman stationed in the police house in Brownside Road.

According to Mr Lambert the policeman has now been transferred to another department within Pennine Division.

He said: "We still have a police house but no policeman.

"Whenever you try to call on a Friday or Saturday night you can never get through."

Mr Lambert is convinced that children from Burnley are attracted to Worsthorne because of its lax policing arrangements.

He said: "The kids are running wild. If a policeman was working in the village we would have known by now who had done this.

"It is only little things that are happening but it all adds up.

"I know they are busy and they have got to prioritise but they never come here and the kids know that full well. We are getting youths from all over the place hanging around the village because they know that the police don't come up here."

Tony also claims that the village school has been the target of vandals. A spokesman for the school confirmed that in the past year the school has been broken into and windows had been smashed.

In response to complaints about policing levels in Worsthorne, Inspector John Clucas from Burnley Police said: "I am aware of the concerns expressed by Mr Lambert and we are reviewing the policing arrangements for the area.

"In the meantime, I would like to reassure the local community that there is a police presence in Worsthorne but, as in most areas of Burnley, we do have to prioritise where our officers are deployed and we have to respond to requests for our help in a similar manner.

Mr Clucas also appealed for the local community to play their part in helping to prevent crime and to catch offenders.

He said: "I would urge anybody who has any information about local crime to contact local police or call Crimestoppers free on 0800 555 111."