BLACKBURN with Darwen Council is losing its battle to stop domestic violence victims suffering repeat attacks.

The council set itself a goal of reducing the percentage of victims who are subjected to further attacks from 10.7 per cent to 7.2 per cent this year.

But at a meeting of the council's executive board members were told that the figure for the second quarter of the year had risen to 9.1 per cent of victims.

That means the council would have to see a drop of 3.5 per cent over the remaining months of the financial year in order to meet its target.

Coun Colin Rigby, a member of the council's executive, was the first to raise concerns. He said: "The figure really seems to be a horrendous one.

"I can't believe this still goes on in this day and age. It is something we do not seem to be getting hold of and I don't know if we are doing enough."

Last year over 18,500 people contacted Lancashire Constabulary about domestic violence incidents and several councils, including Blackburn with Darwen, work in partnership with the police in an attempt to tackle the problem.

The council was unable to confirm the number of victims in Blackburn, but Maureen Bateson, the council's executive member for social services, said the problem of domestic violence was a difficult one.

She added: "Quite often a victim is reluctant to pursue a case, maybe because of fear of their partners of fear of the affect it could have on children."

Coun Bateson said a change in the way cases were brought to court could help to bring more prosecutions.

"The police will be able to take their own prosecutions against the perpetrators of domestic violence, so victims will no longer be under pressure to drop cases.

"We are talking about women who feel they are at more risk by taking things to court, so it is better that a third party makes makes that decision for them.

"The unfortunate thing is that many women suffer over and over again and that is not a good thing to live in that situation."