AUSTRALIAN police are looking to Burnley for inspiration on how to cut drink-related trouble on their streets.

Officers from Queensland, in Oz, have asked Burnley police for more details about BAND -- which stands for Burnley Against Night-time Disorder -- after it was recommended to them as the best way to tackle violent disorder.

Police 'Down Under' could now visit East Lancashire so they can see the scheme -- which involves pubs and police working together to ban thugs from the town centre -- in action for themselves.

Queensland covers around a quarter of Australia and is home to 3.6m people. Its main attractions include state capital Brisbane, the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsunday islands and the Gold Coast, famous for miles of white sandy beaches.

Other forces in the UK, including Bedfordshire, have also shown an interest in BAND. Council officers and police from the South East county came to Burnley last month to see the scheme in action.

BAND was launched in November 2000 by the police and town centre management team to reduce the amount of violent disorder and criminal damage, most of it committed by late-night drinkers.

It has been recognised nationally and is featured in a national best practice booklet, which is how Australian police chiefs picked up on the idea.