Police have made 22 arrests and attended more than 100 incidents across Accrington and Padiham as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour (ASB).

On Wednesday, it was revealed that since the launch of Operation Centurion in July, officers have walked the beat for an additional 5,700 hours in hotspots across different parts of Lancashire, delivering on the Police and Crime Commissioner's plan to get tough on ASB.

Officers have also attended more than 700 incidents, carried out more than 1,500 stop checks, close to 300 stop searches and made 75 arrests.

Extra hotspot patrols were initially announced for six areas of Lancashire after £2 million worth of funding was provided by the government to tackle the issue, with foot patrols taking place in hotspot areas of Accrington, Blackpool, Chorley, Fleetwood, Padiham, and Preston.

But now, it's been revealed that since the launch, more than 1,800 extra policing hours have been dedicated to anti-social behaviour in Accrington and Padiham alone. 

Led by local neighbourhood teams, these hotspot locations now benefit from additional Operation Centurion foot patrols to target ASB.

More than 1,800 additional policing hours have been delivered across these two hotspots combined since the launch of the operation. There has also been 22 arrests, 398 stop checks, 78 stop searches and more than one hundred incidents attended across the two towns.

Inspector Gemma Barr from the ASB, Prevention and Problem-Solving Command said: “Our communities have told us that anti-social behaviour is important to them. We have listened and we have taken action.

“Together with partners we have put additional officers onto the streets of Accrington and Padiham to make people safe and feel safe.

“It is this support from partners that makes our response more effective and means we are able to find long term sustainable solutions to the problems our communities are facing.”

Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden said: "Anti-social behaviour is a blight on our communities and an issue that residents raise with me time and time again, which is why I have made it a priority in my Fighting Crime Plan for Lancashire.

"Operation Centurion is stepping up the fight against ASB in our communities. The constabulary has dedicated neighbourhood police officers in every area and this work is bolstered by an additional £2m I have been able to secure from government to invest in dedicated foot patrols targeting ASB hotspot areas.

"It is fantastic to see these patrols being rolled out across all Lancashire districts to make a real impact in our neighbourhoods including Accrington and Padiham.

"Having joined officers on patrol in different parts of the county, I have already seen the positive impact they have on local areas, engaging with residents and local business as well as dealing robustly with any crime and anti-social behaviour.

"I am absolutely committed to cracking down on anti-social behaviour and I will continue to work closely with the chief constable to ensure the constabulary has the resources needed to get tough on ASB and keep our communities safe."

For more information about Operation Centurion, visit www.lancashiretacklingasb.co.uk.