OUT-of-control yobs in Westhoughton are making life unbearable for other teenagers in the town, claim despairing youth workers.

The problems of drunken behaviour among a gang of the town's children came to light last month following a night-time brawl in Market Street.

Staff from Westhoughton Youth Drop-In say they have been struggling to work with the gang for several months without success.

Problems have become so bad that some young people are afraid to attend the sessions laid on at the Bolton Road drop-in centre and John Holt Youth Centre on Birch Avenue. Now, youngsters at the centre are so fed up by the bad behaviour of others, they have formed an action group.

They say they are victims of intimidation by the gang who were eventually banned from the centres themselves because of their appalling behaviour.

Efforts to interest the gang of up to 15 youths have come to nothing as they have failed to turn up for trips and activities funded especially for them.

Youth workers say they fear the gang, whose ages range from 16 to as young as 11 years, are having their bad behaviour fuelled by drink bought specifically by some adults to sell on to them.

"They are just hanging about on the street intimidating people. We are on the front line and we are taking it every night," said drop in centre manager Lisa Colley.

"When you get them on their own you think you are getting somewhere, but once they get together again you can't get through to them.

Ms Colley says problems began escalating in October last year. "We do get problems around Halloween, bonfire time, but they usually calm down. These lot do seem to be taking it a bit further," said Ms Colley.

Westhoughton youth inclusion officer Steve Greer says he fears the behaviour of the gang is overshadowing the great deal of good work being done by the majority of the town's young people, which includes raising funds for East European orphanages and running environmental projects in parks.

He said: "It is not right that old people are too frightened to catch a bus because of intimidation from these youths." Mr Greer and Ms Colley appealed to the gang to call a halt to their activities and pleaded with parents to take a greater interest in what their children are up to.

"There has got to be something we can do about this," said Ms Colley.

"We can't sort this by ourselves. We need the help of the parents."