A YOUTH shelter could help clear teenagers away from Darwen's Bold Venture Park, according to members of the park's new supporters' group.

The group has formed to try to stop gangs of teenagers hanging around the park and disturbing nearby residents.

Sgt Phil Houghton and Insp Graham Ashcroft of Darwen police came to the group's third meeting. Sgt Houghton told members "you are the police service's eyes and ears" and urged them to log incidents so a pattern could be established.

Sgt Houghton admitted that the park tended to attract youths and told the meeting that initiatives in the past had included flooding the area with officers and also using mounted police. Most recently special constables had patrolled the area, and youths had been sent on the pioneering youth referral scheme, which worked with the educational department.

He said: "We want to work with you and other agencies to maybe try other tactics and take these apparent problems away -- there are a lot more of us than there are of them."

He added: "There is a natural tendency to demonise youths but not all of them are 'bad uns' and this sub-group could start the ball rolling."

Member Mrs Julie Hackett said: " We need to get young people involved and ask them what they need."

Sgt Houghton said: "We need to identify a place where youths would want to go --something like a youth shelter, which has worked very well on the Galligreaves estate in Blackburn." He said that any shelter needed to be away from the park but "not tucked away" .

The council's community development officer for parks, Allison Porter, said she would ask youth services for a youth worker in the park.

Insp Ashcroft said: "Long-term solutions are definitely forums like this. You might bring up better ideas than the police or the council can - sometimes the police can be blinkered."

It was also decided that a newsletter would be a good way of informing people in the area what was going on.

The group's next meeting is on December 6 at 7.30pm at Holy Trinity School, Bank Top. Details from Allison Porter on 01254 690235.