MORE than 30 residents packed a courtroom in a failed protest over a council leader's decision to sell his town centre shop to an off-licence chain.

Hyndburn Council leader Coun Peter Britcliffe was criticised in May when it emerged he had received an offer for his shop from Crewe-based Bargain Booze.

Yesterday 30 residents packed into Hyndburn magistrates court to voice their concerns about a potential increase in incidents of juvenile nuisance in Whalley Road and surrounding areas which, they say, has reached crisis point.

They have already raised a 500-name petition against the application for a drinks licence but could not prevent it being granted yesterday.

Spokeswoman Sylvia Alty, warden of Friar Court sheltered accommodation in Accrington, said there were enough off-licences in the area already. "The more places there are to buy alcohol, the more incidents there will be, not because of who it is but because what it is," she said.

Rick Laithewaite, national licensing manager for the chain, said the company operated several policies to prevent gangs of youths gathering outside their stores.

He said they included employing door staff for the first three months after a new store opened, CCTV cameras, staff training and a £200 reward for information leading to the conviction of people buying alcohol for young people.

The company has 500 stores nationwide and had a turnover of half a billion pounds last year.

Coun Britcliffe, from Oswaldtwistle, has used the Whalley Road premises as a ladies clothes shop, Just You, for a number of years, but Margaret Codel has applied to open the store as a Bargain Booze franchise.

Mrs Codel already has seven stores in the area including Darwen, Oswaldtwistle and Colne.

She said: "If a group of youths gather outside the shop we go outside and ask them to move. If they don't we get the police because we don't want them gathering. After a while when they realise they are not going to get served they get fed-up and move on."

Coun Graham Jones, who represents the Peel Ward which borders the site, said there were particular problems with juvenile nuisance and under-age drinking in his ward.

"My telephone never stops ringing with people complaining about under-age drinkers and what they are doing. The problem is a growing crisis."

Coun Jones said he had had every alcoholic outlet in his ward sample purchased in the 12 months he had held the seat and part of the problem was adults buying alcohol for young people, he said.

Mrs Codel said setting up the business would cost her more than £100,000, including the purchase of the shop.

Rob Westwood-Payne, representing her, said: "I walked round the town at 7pm yesterday and it was dead. There's not a problem outside these premises."