TENNIS players had to call out police after a gang of youths started hurling obscene comments and making rude gestures at a female player.

Geoff and Julie Brindle are members of Craven Tennis Club and play doubles in the Burnley Marsden Evening League.

When Julie was playing in a league match at Alkincoats Park, Colne, with Geoff's son James on Monday about 30 youths gathered around the courts.

Julie, 40, from Barrowford, said: "I was the only woman playing and they kept shouting obscene comments and leering and it was very embarrassing. We didn't stop the game, we carried on playing.

"But it is hard to concentrate with all that going on."

The police were called and the youths fled. But they returned once the police had left the scene. Geoff said bottles had been smashed on the courts while matches were being played.

And the problem was not exclusive to Alkincoats; players suffered similar abuse at other venues across Burnley and Pendle. He said: "This was the worst abuse I have ever encountered."

"It's bad enough watching young people behaving like this but far worse to see nothing being done to remedy the situation." The couple said there was supposed to be a council worker at the courts to make sure there was no problems and the money was collected, but no-one was ever there.

Geoff said the problem had got so bad in Burnley, teams now paid a supplement to have a park ranger in attendance to make sure the courts were clear and the matches were policed.

Pendle Council's leisure services manager Phil Storey said the previous worker at Alkincoats was subject to intimidation by youths and felt he could not continue in the job.

He had also had to call the police out and had been quite seriously threatened.

But Mr Storey added: "I have someone in mind who may be able to do the job and hopefully they will be appointed in the next week or so.

"This is a huge problem we have got and we as a council are trying to tackle it with various agencies including the police and the youth and community service."

Sgt June Prophet is running the high profile campaign Operation Flock which is targeting juvenile nuisance in the Colne area.

She said: "Police take this matter very seriously.

"We are aware of the problems in Alkincoats Park.

"And we are trying to tackle it by running the operation in conjunction with teachers, youth and community workers and council staff."

She said a juvenile nuisance register had been introduced. When juveniles where spoken to details were taken and letters sent to parents.

Picture: Julie, who suffered verbal abuse from youths, pictured with husband Geoff