PETRIFIED pensioners who suffered years of torment at the hands of yobs now have a ten foot fence to protect their community centre.

The security fence has just been put up outside Fulwood Senior Citizen Centre, formerly known as Galloway Hall, Brackenbury Road, Preston, to keep rowdy youths out.

For five years youths ran riot in the car park and on the roof, taking drugs, creating a nuisance and breaking windows and bottles. The hall, built in 1959, is mainly used by pensioners for activities like tea dances, bridge clubs and indoor bowls.

"The youths would come and drink here and leave broken bottles and create havoc," said chairman of the centre Jim Hartley.

"The problems were starting to put people off from coming to the centre," added centre committee member Michael Lockwood.

But since the £10,000 fence went up it has been all change for the 1,500 people who use the hall each week.

"We are really pleased with the fence, the past two years had been significantly bad for anti-social behaviour," said Mr Lockwood.

"Kids used to get on the roof to take drugs, or were rowdy outside, sometimes it was when senior citizens were inside."

Community beat manager, PC Stuart Bromley, said: "This used to be a problem site, but since the fence has been up I have had no complaints from the centre, it seems to be working really well."

Michelle Loftus of the Community Safety Partnership who helped the centre secure £4,000 funding for the fence also hailed the project a success.

The centre is also used by young children for ballet lessons, Weight Watchers and a religious group.