THE ringleaders of a teenage gang blamed for 90 per cent of an area’s criminal damage and anti-social behaviour have been given ASBOs.

The three teens were part of the self-styled ‘Mill Hill Boyz’ who terrorised the Blackburn community, leaving people afraid to walk the streets at night.

Blackburn magistrates were told the gang, said to have its roots in the once notorious Mill Hill Youth, was responsible for 540 incidents of anti-social behaviour in a year.

Sheldon Murchie, 17, of Hertford Street, Jack Mason, 15, of Bower Close, and Adam Caddens, 16, of Highfield Road, all Blackburn, have now been banned from a large area of Mill Hill.

Hundreds of complaints were made about the gang, including that its members:

* Made the park, New Chapel Street, a 'no go zone' for other children who were not part of their gang.

* Regularly abused customers and staff at the Spar shop, New Chapel Street.

* Terrorised staff and visitors to Mill Hill's library and community centre by throwing objects at staff, using offensive language, deliberately playing loud music from their mobile phones and threatening people.

* Used plastic pipes as mud-flinging catapults, and sprayed 'Mill Hill Boyz' graffiti tags around the area.

The investigation into the gang was led by Blackburn's South West Neighbourhood Policing Team.

The officers have now produced 1,000 leaflets thanking residents for their information which helped secure the ASBOs.

After the case Sergeant Paul Schofield said the gang was responsible for 90 per cent of the area’s criminal damage and anti-social behaviour.

He said: "There will 1,000 pairs of eyes watching what they do.

"Over the last 12 months these three teenagers have terrorised local businesses and residents.

“They have caused the people of Mill Hill untold problems for far too long and I hope these orders will help to restore the quality of life for members of the community."

At Blackburn Magistrates' Court yesterday, the three teens were given the ASBOs.

The orders ban them from an area of central Mill Hill, including the main New Chapel Street, bound by St Aidan's Avenue, Norfolk Street, Grantham Street and the Leeds Liverpool canal.

It also prohibits them using abusive, insulting, intimidating or threatening language or behaviour likely to cause harassment or alarm and associating with each other and four others named as Todd Pask, Matthew Barry, Connor Maddocks and Jordan Maddocks.

In addition Murchie was banned from having a permanent marker pen or aerosol paint can in a public place and Caddens was banned from being in possession of alcohol in public.

All three were made subject to an electronically monitored curfew between 9pm and 6am for six months.

Police Constable Chris Hamill told the court anti-social behaviour was a 'hot topic' in Mill Hill which was the only area of Blackburn subject to a dispersal order.

He said people were frightened of walking through the streets of Mill Hill at night because of the behaviour the 'Mill Hill Boyz'.

PC Mark Perry said the police had tried to engage with the youngsters and tackle the problem in a friendly way but this had not worked.

Teresa Southworth, manager of the Spar Shop said the gang came into the shop stealing and being abusive to staff and intimidated customers.

When the boys were asked to leave staff were met with foul-mouthed abuse, often when there were young children in the shop, she said.

Ben Ashworth, manager of Mill Hill Library, detailed incidents of gang members smoking in the library, damaging books and using threatening and intimidating behaviour towards staff.

Angela Rossi, defending, said it was accepted that some if not all of the incidents involved her clients and they did not resist the making of the ASBOs.