Liberal Democrat Dorothy Lord's comments came after the town's police chief admitted children as young as 12 were drinking in the streets and committing crime.

Pendle councillors told Insp. Ian Cooper they had been inundated with complaints about drunken louts.

Urgent investigations are underway to establish the cost of extending CCTV coverage after months of vandalism.

Councillors said young adults returning from nights out and gangs of youths were responsible for damage to vehicles and property.

Insp. Cooper said: "There are still far too many 12 and 13-year-old kids on the streets committing these crimes."

Coun. Lord said the younger offenders were a product of parents who were just as badly-behaved. "This is a second generation coming through," she said. "Their parents were probably just the same when they were younger. A lot of them won't have the parenting skills or the know-how to bring up children.

"There are good kids in Colne. We've said the bad ones have been a minority for a long time now, but I think they've become the majority."

Vodka, brandy and wine were seized from youths in a police operation last month. The youngest drinker caught was 14.

Sgt John Fryer, of Colne police, said he believed a lot of the alcohol came from home, as each of the 12 off-licences in Colne passed when test purchased three weeks ago.

"Parents need to take some responsibility," he said.