EXTRA police patrols will be on the streets of Brierfield in response to Wednesday's attack in which firefighters were bombarded with fireworks and stones.

The police, fire service and local authorities in the town have also agreed an action plan to clamp down on illegal sale of fireworks to children following the incident in which up to 50 youths ambushed the crews, who were attending a blaze in Arthur Street.

One firework exploded only three feet from one of the firefighters and the crews had to be escorted by the police to another fire in the area later the same night.

Representatives from Brierfield Town Council, Pendle Borough Council, Lancashire Constabulary and Lancashire Fire and Rescue met to decide their response to the attack and agreed on ways to tackle future potential problems by a combination of working with the community, rigorously investigating the incident in Arthur Street and clamping down on shops selling fireworks to children. A police spokesman said: "The attack is felt to have been the work of a minority of young people in the community and is not being seen as a sign of a general rise in community tension."

The outcome to the talks was that all parties were taking the matter very seriously and the investigation to identify the offenders was continuing.

It was agreed that in partnership with trading standards officers efforts would be made to identify and prosecute shopkeepers who supply fireworks to children under age and that the police would offer extra patrols to the fire service if any future situations of a similar nature arose.

John Taylor, a spokesman for Lancashire Fire and Rescue, said: "We were eager to get across that it doesn't mean that for every house fire the first thing we would do is call the police and get an escort out. It's just that we are proceeding with caution.

"There will be no diminution in the service we provide or reduction in response times and we don't want to suggest that Brierfield is a particular hot spot or this a new phenomenon.

"Parents also have the responsibility to ask where their children are and if they are coming home smelling of fireworks and fire what have they been up to. They need to have a measure of control and concern for their child."

Other members of the community are being asked to give any information about the suspects in the attack in Brierfield to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

If there are piles of rubbish in the streets which may represent a fire risk, people are asked to contact Pendle Council's street cleansing department on 01282 661745 so that arrangements can be made to dispose of the rubbish.