A COMMUNITY is calling for extra security measures at a subway following an alleged attempted sex attack on a schoolgirl.

Residents said the subway, underneath the M65 between Gannow Lane and Accrington Road, was a crime hot-spot and want more CCTV cameras, mirrors and street lights fitted.

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It comes after a 17-year-old boy from Burnley was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault on a 13-year-old girl who was walking to school at 8am on Wednesday.

He was still in custody last night.

Worried residents of nearby Gannow Lane said the area had been blighted by anti-social behaviour for many years.

Christine Holland, a 60-year-old cleaner, said: “I’ve lived here for 34 years and it’s always been dodgy near the subway. There are strangers up there all the time, coming and going, and people drinking and taking drugs.

“It’s so sad what happened to that girl. We need more police patrols to stop this happening again.”

Mark Hargreaves, 44, said: “It’s disgusting that this could happen to a young girl in broad daylight. It makes your blood boil that this could happen.

“There are often people drinking, inhaling gas and taking other drugs down Smallshaw Lane and it really intimidates people.

“There needs to be cameras around so that people know they’ve got eyes on them. A lot of people around here are scared to go down to the subway at night.”

Wendy Sutcliffe, a 43-year-old childminder, said: “Lads damage our cars and joyride along Gannow Lane and onto Smallshaw Lane on motorbikes because the police can’t get through the subway. We need more police around here. My daughter is 13 and knowing that happened to that poor girl scares me. There’s no way I’d go down to the subway at night. You don’t feel safe.”

And Julie Murton, 55, added: “I’ve always said there should be cameras or mirrors there because you can’t see who is coming through the subway and there could be someone lurking in there. At least you would know who you were coming across.”

Rosegrove councillor Bea Foster said she and other ward councillors would be willing to meet with residents to discuss how they could improve safety and could possibly use their ward opportunities funding to bring in new measures.

She said: “We’ve been very active in that area. We recently had all of the lights replaced inside the subway which are now on 24 hours a day.

“We’re also going to have drainage fixed so it isn’t muddy for people anymore. It’s such a sad state of affairs that this has happened to this young girl, and I just hope she can recover from it. I would be very happy to meet with residents and talk about what they would like doing to make the area safer.”

A Burnley Council spokesman said: “If residents are concerned about anti-social behaviour in their area we would encourage them to report it to their ward councillors and the neighbourhood policing team so the matter can be looked into and any appropriate action taken.”