POLICE have launched a high-profile operation to crack down on disorder in Blackburn centre on Friday and Saturday nights.

Operation Safer Streets will run for the next five weeks.

Extra officers have been brought in from the mounted and operational support units and police bosses have stressed that the higher numbers on Blackburn's streets will not affect manpower in the rest of the division.

The aim of the operation is to reduce the number of incidents in the town centre caused by heavy drinking. Lancashire Constabulary's Eastern Division, which includes Blackburn, has made reducing disorder one of its main objectives for 2000/2001, with a target to reduce incidents by two per cent.

As part of Operation Safer Streets, officers will also be working with pub landlords and off-licences to try to keep bottles and glasses, which could be used as weapons, off the streets, and to target under-age drinking. Inspector Judith Finney said: "We want to make Blackburn an enjoyable place to be on a Friday and Saturday night and at present there are those people who make a nuisance of themselves, spoiling it for everyone else.

"By working closely with the licensees and providing a large and highly-visible presence in the town centre we hope this can be achieved."

Inspector Finney said the operation had been timed to coincide with the run up to Christmas when incidents were likely to be at their highest.