TEENAGERS in East Lancs were being sucked into a life of crime to feed their gambling addiction.

That was the claim of Blackburn Councillor Michael Harding who called for tougher new legislation to prevent the alarming increase in teenage gamblers.

His comments came after a 14-year-old boy was sent to a detention centre for 120 days after turning to crime to pay for his gambling addiction.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.