TWENTY youngsters have now been arrested in Haslingden as part of a county-wide operation against crime.

Operation Reassure which began on Monday will continue until January 25.

Early morning raids have been carried out on houses in the Haslingden area and twenty people, all juveniles, have been taken to local police stations for questioning.

Operation Reassure is a Lancashire Constabulary force wide burglary reduction drive.

Locally it is also seen as a contributing factor to tackling problems of juvenile nuisance.

Local geographical inspector Roger Ravenscroft said: "The people arrested are all suspected of causing a lot of juvenile nuisance as well.

"We are trying to get the message across about our commitment to deal with the problems caused by both burglars and those committing a nuisance to local residents."

Some of those arrested have been given police bail pending further inquiries.

Some have received a reprimand and others have been given a final warning that any repetition could result in prosecution.

Insp Ravenscroft said police were aware about complaints of problems caused by youngsters in the Haslingden

"We want to let people know that we are trying to do something about these problems." added Insp Ravenscroft.