A BOY could be scarred for life after he received a deep cut when he fell on to broken glass at a playground in Baxenden.
Seven-year-old Matthew Austin needed 18 stitches in his backside at Accrington Victoria Hospital.
He was walking home from school with his mum Alexandra through the Back Lane play area when he slipped on wet grass and landed on a shattered brown beer bottle.
Matthew, who lives on Coleridge Drive, Baxenden, with his mum, dad Ian, 39, and sister Victoria, 10, was immediately taken to casualty where he received nine stitches and nine butterfly stitches.
Mrs Austin, 37, said: "At the hospital they said he was very, very lucky.
"It was a deep cut and Matthew was in a lot of pain, all because the group of teenagers who hang around there couldn't be bothered to put their bottles of beer in the bin.
"Instead, they choose to smash the bottles on the floor and there's no worse place to do that than a child's play area."
Mrs Austin said that about 20 teenagers, aged around 15, seem to be constantly standing around on the play area in the evenings drinking alcohol.
She said: "I know that they have nothing to do and there is nowhere for them to go and I am sympathetic to that, but all I ask of them is to put their litter in the bins that are provided there."
Matthew was released from hospital the same day, and had to lie still on his stomach for 48 hours after the incident.
He only started walking around four days later when the pain was starting to ease.
Baxenden councillor John Griffiths said: "Youths do gather in that area and the police do move them on.
"The village caretaker cleans the play area on a regular basis, but as soon as he cleans it up, the litter can gather again the same day.
"We try our best to keep it clean and have even had compliments from one resident in the area saying how lovely and clean it looked.
"We will definitely be making an extra effort to try and keep that area clean."
Police visit schools in the area on a regular basis and talk to the teenagers regarding their behaviour and an acceptable code of conduct.
PC Clare Wall, community beat manager for Baxenden, said: "Teenagers do hang around on that play area and if they are shouting, swearing and drinking under-age, then a youth referral is given where we take their names and addresses and take them home to their parents.
"We do monitor that area and we will continue to do so, but generally we have found that most of the teenagers in Baxenden are generally good and we have a good relationship with them."
