A "youth-zapping" noise emitter should be removed from an Earby school because it discriminates, according to council bosses.

Following problems with youngsters gathering at Springfield Primary and climbing on the roof, the school fitted an ultrasonic "Mosquito" device, which is designed to deter youths from congregating in a given area.

The £650 contraption makes an unpleasant high-pitched sound which can only be heard by people up to the age of around 25, as parts of the human hearing range fade with age.

Feedback from the school on the Mosquito was said to have been very positive and incidents of youths climbing on the roof were reported to have reduced since it was installed in October.

However, Lancashire County Council has raised concerns over the legality of the devices with council leader Hazel Harding describing them as "discriminatory".

The authority's cabinet met last Thursday to discuss the devices, which have been installed at Springfield Primary and at another anti-social behaviour hot spot in the county.

The meeting heard that trials have shown that teenagers found the devices annoying and moved away from areas where they were installed in just a few minutes.

But Coun Harding said they contradicted the authority's duty to represent young people and listen to their concerns.

She added: "We are against the use of Mosquitos as they assume all teenagers in the vicinity are behaving anti-socially.

"For us to support their use would send out completely the wrong message about the county council's attitude towards young people.

"We have been advised that using these devices could be in breach of an individual's human rights as they prevent freedom of assembly and impact on the right to respect for private and family life.

"The simple fact is that if these devices singled out any other group in society there would be an enormous outcry.

A resolution passed by the cabinet means they will no longer be used on any property owned or leased by the county council.

Coun Harding added: "The Mosquito is a short term solution to a specific problem but the way they work is very crude and only has the effect of displacing that problem to another area.

"I also feel these devices punish young people simply for being young and contribute to a climate in which groups of young people are negatively stereotyped and demonised as being up to no good."

Coun Harding was supported by West Craven county councillor David Whipp, who said that such measures risked alienating a fifth of the population.

He said that Springfield Primary had suffered anti-social behaviour, underage drinking and vandalism, but other measures, including increased policing and Earby's soon-to-be-implemented alcohol control zone, were addressing the issues.

He said: "We need to stop driving a wedge and alienating young people from society.

"The more we create barriers from the active and positive participation of youngsters in mainstream life the more problems we're going to have in the future".

Springfield headteacher Dawn Liversidge declined to comment on the issue.