SIXTEEN people were arrested after a pitched battle erupted in a quiet street following a row over a barking dog.

Police were called to the incident in Dryden Grove, Great Harwood, at 3pm on Saturday, and recovered a number of cricket and baseball bats from the scene.

They believe it was linked to a previous incident in the early hours of Saturday when a family challenged a neighbour about a bull terrier dog barking through the night.

Neighbours took an eight-month-old baby boy out of a house at the centre of the disturbance amid fears for his safety.

A Ford Orion car was damaged and a house door pane smashed in the second incident, which police said involved around 20 youths.

Inspector Stuart Bruce said: "Neighbours had a dispute over the bull terrier barking continually in the middle of the night.

"One of the neighbours went round to remonstrate with the owner and this deteriorated into a fight. A complaint was made of assault and the police were due to investigate that complaint.

"But then at 3pm on Saturday, there was what can only be described as a small-scale pitched battle.

"It was really out of the blue in what is usually a very peaceful neighbourhood."

House-to-house inquiries were carried out by police and forensic science teams from Blackburn were called to the scene. Those arrested were being questioned by police yesterday.

Neighbours Roy and Anne Kay, of Dryden Grove, alerted the police to the disturbance.

Roy said: "There were about 15 police officers. The car was wrecked and the window of the house was smashed in what seemed like a hell of a row."

Anne added: "It was horrendous. My main concern was to get the baby away from it all. That was more important than anything else.

"We are lucky as we sleep at the back of the house. But it was terrible."