These are just some of the vicious outbreaks of terror seen by Blackpool young people in their time growing up

And resort teenagers say things are only getting worse.

Gang warfare in London has seen young people stabbed to death while three men in Greater Manchester were fatally injured in knife attacks in the last week alone.

Sadly, in some areas, it has become a part of our young people's culture.

Blackpool may not be the mean streets of urban gangland, but local children are fully aware of the threat.

But students spoken to by The Gazette said they would not want to see extra security at schools as it would increase levels of fear among pupils.

Blackpool Sixth Form College student Jenny Rhymes,16, from Blackpool lived in Spain where youths her age were regularly involved in fights with motorcycle chains

She added: "It's getting harder to get knives, I used to work at Marks & Spencer where an alarm rings for every knife sale telling check out operators to confirm the age of the customer."

Becky Brookes, 18, told how she recently looked out of the window at her Blackpool home and saw group of youths aged between 12 and 13 involved in a brawl – one of them armed with a large barbecue fork.

She also spoke of a friend approached outside a town centre nightclub by a man he knew who lunged at him with a knife, slashing his hand, over an argument.

But she denied schools needed to beef up security.

She added: "There is something wrong if you have to start putting in methods of control before there is a problem and it is more likely to frighten people than anything else."

Tom Roe teaches self defence to Blackpool schoolgirls and is amazed at how few people know what to do when involved in a potentially life threatening situation. He said he knew of one instance where a fellow pupil had taken a knife into his school but said he had done it to show off.

He added: "The lad wouldn't have known what to do with it.

"You see a lot of youths hanging around, more groups than gangs, although they probably would think they're a gang.