AT last...a real crackdown on the drunken yobs in Bolton town centre who turn a night out into a nightmare.

The Bolton Townsafe Partnership Group, launched this month, is showing its teeth and building on measures to show troublemakers that they are simply not welcome here.

Over the summer, the group is making the popular Bradshawgate and Nelson Square areas "no go" zones for drunks hellbent on causing mayhem. They will be banned from central pubs and clubs, with their photographs circulated to licensees in special "offender albums".

After an initial warning, their details will be entered on a database. Then, if they continue to misbehave, they will be made the subject of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) and banned.

It's good news that this new group, made up of a cross-section of town centre interests, means business. Currently, families and anyone over 35 are bound to feel wary of visiting the town centre in the evenings, largely because of a small number of drunken yobs determined to enjoy weekends THEIR way. That is, getting totally wasted, fighting, vandalizing property, combined with a spot of throwing up. Now, realistic steps to make the evening economy attractive to everyone are being taken. Although, as Town Centre Manager Cathy Savage rightly points out, such moves are only effective when involvement is right across the board. Bolton is starting to lead the way in dealing with a problem echoed in every town and city throughout Britain, but it is too early to start celebrating success. The benchmark of that is when those taking advantage of the town centre's evening leisure facilities looks like a more realistic cross-section of Bolton's residents.