DRUNK children, some as young as eight, are causing havoc in a Chorley village.

And shocked residents - left reeling from the damage and disruption caused by the youngsters - say they are too frightened to speak openly for fear of reprisals.

One resident claims to know of profit-making parties being held by adults where their own children are passed invitations for school friends to go along and buy beer bought from supermarkets.

Chorley police confirmed they had been called to one such house party and were investigating the incident.

One woman said: "I worry about walking around here. I've seen kids aged eight staggering around not knowing where they were, drunk or possibly drugged.

"In groups, they shout abuse and it's quite frightening and there are lots of bottles smashed everywhere which is very dangerous.

"Recently there were 60 children, including a six-year-old, at a house party, drinking alcohol in the garden and in the street - and I know this was organised by a parent."

Another resident said: "Drunk kids wander around the fields and can get really arrogant. There are lots of pensioners living here who can't sleep at night because of the racket. It's horrendous.

"And it's not just Coppull kids but children from Chorley who come to these parties."

Some 25 residents turned up at Coppull Parish Council's latest meeting to complain about the party and to voice their disgust at the spiralling problem.

Now they want a bye-law to be introduced to restrict under-age people drinking alcohol in public. Chairman of Coppull Parish Council Ken Ball said: "Under-age drinkers, as young as eight years old, congregate in the streets and have been causing vandalism and trouble for several months. We have had to demolish an annexe of St Oswald's School because of this."

He is rallying round local councillors to support the bye-law initiative. Meanwhile Coppull residents, who say they are at the end of their tether, have applied to start a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme to deal with the situation.

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