ONE of Burnley's top policemen today made a personal vow to rid the town of football hooligans within three months.

Chief Inspector Richard Morgan made the promise as he announced a raft of measures aimed at clamping down on football related violence.

New measures will include:

l Pubs using plastic glasses on match days

l A ban on drinking alcohol in the streets over Christmas and New Year

l Town centre pubs locking their doors before the Burnley v Wolves match on Boxing Day

l Naming and shaming known hooligans

The new move follows Operation Fixture launched earlier this month as a new clampdown on soccer thugs which they said would lead to more match bans, arrests and quicker convictions.

Working with Turf Moor chiefs and magistrates, it aims to identify hooligans via CCTV and speed-up their court appearances.

So far 35 people have been dealt with by the courts for a variety of offences related to violence and disorder. Lifetime bans from Turf Moor are likely to follow.

Now police and town centre licensees have vowed to redouble their efforts in the light of the tragic death of Nottingham Forest fan Nathan Shaw two weeks ago.

Nathan, 17, had travelled to watch his team at Turf Moor on Saturday, December 7, but died in hospital after an alleged assault outside Yates's Wine Lodge in St James Street.

Andrew McNee, 18, of Osborne Way, Haslingden, is in custody charged with his murder.

Chief Inspector Morgan said he had held meetings with town centre pubs who are part of the BAND (Burnley Against Night time Disorder) scheme and security chiefs at Turf Moor and everyone was determined to get rid of the minority hooligan element.

He said: "I will get rid get rid of football hooligans in this town within three months because people are sick to the back teeth of the behaviour of this minority.

"I have been overwhelmed at the meetings I have attended by the commitment demonstrated by people in Burnley to ridding this town of this minority group of hooligans."

Details of around 10 known members of hooligan group Burnley Youth, who have convictions for football related violence, will be displayed on posters in pubs.

Drinkers and pub staff will be encouraged to shop any of those banned spotted in the pubs and police have made a commitment to respond to all tip-off calls.

And Turf Moor will display posters of a further 20 of the worst hooligans in a bid to stop them breaching banning orders at the club.

Pubs along Church Street and Yorkshire Street will also be encouraged to sign up to the BAND scheme to join those in the town centre.

Chief Inspector Morgan said: "I hope these initiatives will have the desired effect and will ruin the Christmas of those few people involved in football-related violence and that Christmas for the majority remains a safe and happy one."

Mayor of Burnley Coun Gordon Birtwistle, who earlier this week wrote to the Mayor of Nottingham to express Burnley's sorrow over the death of Nathan Shaw, said: "I welcome anything that will help to reduce violence and anti-social behaviour in the town.

"I have been trying to lift the image of Burnley for the last seven months and I don't want to see it destroyed by a minority of yobbos."

A spokesman for the council's licensing department said: "The council wholeheartedly supports the measures taken by the police and members of BAND in reducing the instances of violence and anti-social behaviour."

Burnley's town centre manger, Lisa Durkin, is also backing the initiative.