A YOUTH worker has pledged to make a difference and stop children from damaging a £450,000 Blackburn play area which has suffered a blight of vandalism and juvenile nuisance.

The Oakenhurst Road play area was completed just six weeks ago but police have revealed it is being abused by youths, and are targeting the nuisance behaviour.

Local residents have called for something to be done about the situation, but a community leader and founder of the nearby Parents Action for the Community and Town (PACT) centre has claimed local children are not all bad, and plenty is being done to help.

Annie Smith, founder and chairman of the centre, said the facility had been closed over the summer due to a lack of volunteers, but that on recent nights had played host to more than 60 children - youngsters who were not misusing the park.

She said: "The centre was shut down for the summer due to lack of volunteers, and now it's open again. On Saturday night we had 68 children in the centre and on Tuesday we had 74 kids.

"That goes a long way towards stopping the anti-social behaviour. It's when kids have nothing to do that they cause these problems, and we have to take responsibility.

"If we can give children something to do they won't end up hanging around the park because we can have them in the centre.

"Sixty-eight children is quite an achievement to get them off the streets."

The play area was created as part of a £3million scheme, managed by Blackburn with Darwen Council and funded by the government.

But locals say families have been stopped from using it because of gangs sitting around drinking, graffiti, smashed bottles and litter, as well as fly tipping.

However the nearby PACT centre is now open five days a week to help give children from the area something to do.

Mrs Smith added: "We know the park is a problem but if the kids have nowhere else to go that's what is going to happen."