FRUSTRATED residents have won their battle to stop a shelter for teenagers being built near their homes.

More than 100 people who live in the West End of Oswaldtwistle attended a meeting with police, Hyndburn Council officers and councillors to protest against the project.

The shelter was to be built to tackle a rising juvenile nuisance problem in the region.

But residents said there were already teenagers from Knuzden and Accrington gathering in the West End and the shelter, which would be in a residential area, would only bring in more.

They said they were tired of putting up with the late-night noise and drunken teenagers swearing and urinating in the streets, but did not see the shelter as a solution. Police said that the number of complaints about juvenile nuisance in the West End had increased dramatically from 25 in 1994 to 127 in 1996, which was why the region was being targeted as the base for the shelter.

They said they were disappointed the plan was not going ahead but pleased an amicable agreement was reached with the residents.

It was decided that householders would meet with parents, councillors, police and the young people themselves to try to work together and discuss what could be done.

Sergeant Graham Eccles, of Accrington police crime prevention department, said: "The shelter would have helped us and youth services to monitor the young people and have better control over their activities.

"We listened to the residents and we are disappointed it's not going ahead but would never force anything on people if they were against it."

Coun Bill Goldsmith who was present at the meeting said: "Statistics prove juvenile nuisance is a big problem in the area and we hope that at the meetings which follow we can come up with some ideas to resolve the situation."

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