RESIDENTS have renewed their call for a play area for youngsters who they say are forced to gather on a busy road.

Requests for a park near Springfield Street, next to Crown Paints' factory in Darwen, have been made for three years although demand has heightened in recent weeks due to the school holidays.

Parents have written to the landlord, Northern Counties Housing Association, to ask if a play area can be created nearby. But they have received no reply so far, and have called upon MP Janet Anderson to help.

She has promised support but parents feel that with the summer holidays half way through, time is running out. They say Bold Venture Park and the play area created at Lodgeside, off Watery Lane, are too far away for children as young as five to walk.

Mrs Anderson said she had met some residents from Springfield Street and saw children playing in the streets.

She said: "The children are having to play near the main road. Parents are terrified that a kid will be involved in an accident."

One resident, Gillian Crapnell, said: "The children are bored because there's nothing to do so they play right outside the house and run in the gardens. They play football, which hits the cars, but it's not the children's fault. They need somewhere to play.

"I wrote to Northern Counties but haven't received a reply. I thought they could let the children use the grass area, or the car park, which they own and nobody uses."

A spokesperson for Northern Counties said: "If the residents wanted to put a proposal or request and send it to us we would put it forward for consideration.

"However, even a basic play area would cost £10,000 so it's significant. We work hard with the residents so if we wanted to call a meeting, we would speak to them and discuss it.

"There may be other people who don't want a play area so we have to look at the bigger picture."