THE next generation of Wayne Rooneys and David Beckhams in South Ribble could be about to get the red card.
The police have joined forces with the council to warn youngsters about the problems of playing football in the street.
Police in Bamber Bridge say they have already received a number of complaints from residents about noise and damage caused by you
ths playing football.
PC Andy Edwards, Community Beat Manager for Bamber Bridge, promised to deal with all complaints on their own merits.
He said: "There may be times when we are called out to a deal with a small number of younger children playing football in the street and they are not really causing any trouble, so we would just have a word with them and get them to think about other residents.
"But when it's a large group of older kids you may have to respond differently and move them on. It is a balancing act really, and how we respond depends on a number of factors, age of the children, the size of the group and the type of road they are playing on.
"We are not out to spoil anyone's fun, but at the same time we have a duty to ensure that residents are happy and that the children are safe."
The police have been helping to run a series of community football events.
PC Edwards said: "Throughout the summer we have held these events to give local kids something to do in the school holidays and we hope to do something similar in the future."
South Ribble Borough Council is also trying to get the message across that playing football in the street can be dangerous.
Coun Matthew Tomlinson, cabinet member for community services said: "Being active brings many social and health related benefits and there are many parks, open spaces and designated games areas in South Ribble, all of which are available for people to use safely."
