POLICE in Clayton-le-Moors are celebrating after latest figures showed that crime there has fallen by more than 40 per cent in the past year.

Clayton community beat manager Rob Flanagan hailed the statistics as a "fantastic result".

So far this year police officers have dealt with 122 reported crimes compared to 208 in the same period in 2004.

PC Flanagan said: "I am really pleased and it shows that there is a lot of good police work being done.

"We are building good relationships in the community.

"We are hoping that if someone has a problem they will seek help rather than commit a crime. We are trying to address issues with young people by working with the local youth services."

He added: "The more information that people share with us the more we can reduce crime and target the right people."

The success of the new Pub Watch scheme in Clayton has also played a part in the reduction of crime in the town.

He said: "In the last three months Clayton has joined the Hyndburn scheme and people are starting to realise that they can't cause trouble because they will be banned from all of the pubs in the area.

"There are only a few bars that are not participating in the scheme and we are in talks with those premises to make sure they join.

"I've had people who have got a Pub Watch ban come to see me and they tell me that they would rather be locked up and charged than be barred from the pubs."

There is currently no police station in Clayton but PC Flanagan said that he is keen to increase the police presence in the area.

"We are looking into the possibility of setting up a part-time police station at the Neighbourhood Management offices at the Civic Hall.

"We already have plans to start a police surgery on Monday mornings and Friday evenings when people can make appointments to come and see an officer.

"If that proves successful then we will look at creating a more permanent base in Clayton."