A Horwich councillor has urged parents to take more responsibility for their children.

Cllr Barbara Ronson was speaking after the death of ex

x-fireman Ken Arrowsmith as he confronted a teenage mob.

This week, four children on public order offences connected with the incident walked free from Bolton Youth Court.

Passing sentence, magistrates, whose powers of punishment were restricted, admitted the three conditional discharges would anger the public.

The fourth juvenile will be sentenced in January.

Police chiefs insist community bobbies are concentrating their efforts on reducing juvenile nuisance problems in the area.

Figures show seven residents living within half-a-mile of Mr Arrowsmith's home had reported trouble with youths in the last month.

There had been a total of 28 complaints in the Horwich and Blackrod area relating to youths.

Cllr Ronson urged parents to ensure they know where their child is and what they are doing to help the crackdown on youth problems in the district.

She said: "Whether there is a problem or a perceived problem, people are upset at these incidents.

"The schools and other agencies are doing their best to point out the correct behaviour but it leaves a question mark about what parents are doing to bring it home to them that they are causing a nuisance.

"A lot of complaints I get from people about this are not from people who feel threatened by youths' behaviour.

"It's just that their lives are being disrupted by their actions."

Mr Arrowsmith, aged 56, collapsed in March as he chased a young mob which had hurled stones, sweets and CDs at his Chorley New Road home.

Bolton's three MPs are now set to lobby Home Secretary Jack Straw, demanding extra powers being given to the judiciary and police who try to tackle nuisance young yobs.

And Cllr Bob Ronson is urging the Government to inject extra cash into the police service enabling more officers to walk the beat and crackdown on young trouble-makers.

He said: "Unless there are extra police officers available we may as well whistle in the wind as try to catch the youths responsible.

"This is not just a Horwich problem, it happens across the town, but if the police have not got the necessary resources then we can never catch all those responsible."