FED-UP residents say teenage vandals are causing trouble in their Pendle street.

People in Arthur Street, Brierfield, say youths have been causing disturbances and even launching missiles, terrifying residents.

But despite the intervention of councillors, a plea to install alleygates appears to have fallen on deaf ears – because Pendle Council cannot afford alleygates.

Arthur Street resident Brian Walker, 57, said: “We have had tremendous problems down here in the last three months.

“We have had car windscreens smashed and I had my car wing mirror kicked off last month too.

“We have got families in this street who have been evicted from other places and gangs of youths always hanging around.”

Mr Walker said his insurance company had also insisted on metal bars being placed on his kitchen window.

A 23-year-old neighbour said the problem was caused because local teenagers had no place to go at night.

He said: “The kids around here have got nothing to do.If they go to a youth club, they might forget most of what is said, but they remember a bit of the advice on drinking and drugs.

“I was bad when I was a kid, but I was better than these teenagers.”

A Pendle Council Reedley committee was told that alleygating stretches of Arthur Street and Halifax Road, another vandal-hit street, would cost around £6,000. It followed requests from councillors.

Officers said the council does not have an alleygating policy or set budget, unlike Burnley Council.

Further investigations by council officials found that only one residents had raised concerns about missile-throwing in Arthur Street.

Police said that while crime has increased in the area, from 2007 to 2008, the number of reports of anti-social behaviour had dropped.