AN action group is kicking off a campaign to turn an disused football pitch into an all-weather skate park to keep kids off the street and out of trouble.

The Women's Action Group (WAG) claim local youngsters will not use the pitch because it is waterlogged and overgrown.

Now they want something done so children in Shadsworth have somewhere to go at night instead of "hanging around."

Members of WAG are planning fundraising events to turn the pitch, at the back of the Shadsworth Neighbourhood Estate, in Rothesay Road, into an all-weather area where children can skateboard or ride their bikes.

Mum-of-three Belinda Alberts, of Romney Road, said: "There is nothing for the kids to do round here. The pitch is waterlogged and there's just one park in the whole estate. All the kids congregate near the shops and the older ones drink and get into trouble because there is nothing for them to do."

The group got the inspiration for their plan from a similar scheme in Clitheroe which was part funded by the council and fundraisers. They aim to raise as much funds as possible and encourage local businesses and Blackburn with Darwen Council to give extra cash.

Mum-of-four Marie Mason, of nearby Arran Avenue, said children of all ages could use the park and residents will benefit too."

The older kids can teach the younger ones how to skateboard and when they have to go in the older ones will have it to themselves. Because the pitch is so bad all the children have to play in the streets and it is like Chinese water torture for the residents especially the older ones."

Mum-of-one Lillian Wilson, from Accrington Road, added: "We want to raise as much money as possible and get something going."

The group is planning a host of fundraising events in the coming months including a disco and an alternative fashion show.

But In the meantime it aims to bolster its numbers after dwindling from a healthy 25 to just a handful of current members. Anybody that wants to join the Women's Action Group should go along to weekly meetings at Shadsworth Neighbourhood Estate, in Rothesay Road on Wednesdays between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.