TWO teenage girls known locally as the ‘Witches of Whitebirk’ have been given ASBOs after a court was told they had ‘terrorised’ a neighbourhood.

Police said Tori Duxbury, 15, and Amanda Holt, 16, of Monmouth Road, Whitebirk, Blackburn, were part of a gang that left one victim a ‘prisoner in his own home’.

The man, in his late 40s and living in Hereford Road, also Whitebirk, was afraid to put the lights on in his own home in case he attracted the attention on the stone-throwing yobs, officers said.

Police said that instead he often used the glow from his mobile phone screen to make a cup of tea.

PC Tom Sanford, community beat manager for the area, said the victim would keep his lights off even in the depths of winter and would check the coast was clear before going to and from the local shop.

Blackburn magistrates gave the girls interim Anti-Social Behaviour Orders ahead of a full hearing on next month.

They are now banned from acting in an anti-social manner or inciting others to do the same, including making hand gestures, swearing and using abusive, threatening or racist language.

They both have 8pm – 5am curfews unless with their parents.

Both girls are now banned from associating with a number of 15 and 16-year-old girls in their group, each other and the Stafford brothers Paul, 18, and David, 16, who also have ASBOs.

They are also prohibited from entering specific areas of Whitebirk.

Tori’s mum, dad and grandmother were in court, as was Amanda’s older sister.

Prosecutor for Lancashire Police, Rachel Fung, said the two were ‘inseparable’ and caused problems whenever they were in public together.

Their group use the graffiti tag ‘WBB’ for ‘Whitebirk Bitches’ and part of the police file against them includes graffiti insults such as ‘We hate plastic’ and ‘PCSOs are gay’ daubed on a ‘No Ball Games’ sign.

Police said they had become known in the area as the Witches of Whitebirk thanks to their tag.

After the hearing PC Sanford said the persistence of the girls’ behaviour, almost on a daily basis, had increased since the start of 2011.

One family bought a new bed so that the father could sleep in the same room as his frightened teenage son who thought his windows were going to be put through by the constant bang of footballs kicked by the girls and their gang, police said.

PC Sanford said: “There has been intimidation, stone throwing and abuse almost daily from January to April.

“We’ve tried to reason with them, but it hasn’t worked. On one occasion there’s been a group of them causing damage, which has led to a confrontation on the street between 20 to 30 people when residents said enough is enough.

“It’s very unusual to have a group of girls behind so much anti-social behaviour.”

Blackburn south east neighbourhood policing Sergeant Mark Cruise added: “It says everything about how their behaviour impacted on local residents when a man wouldn’t put on his lights in the depths of winter because he didn’t want them to know he was at home.”

“They have terrorised people in the Whitebirk area and made some of their lives hell.

“I feel really sorry for residents who have had to put up with intimidation in the street.”