From today, Bridlington's Old Town, including the nuisance hot spot of the Well Lane by-pass flyover, will be covered by a two-month police and council dispersal order.

Starting tomorrow another dispersal order comes into force in Flamborough's village centre, this time for three months.

Both measures follow complaints from residents about groups of youths causing nuisance and vandalism including criminal damage, trespass, missile throwing and verbal abuse.

Insp Steve Jackson, head of Bridlington police, said: "Dispersal orders are an effective way of dealing with a build-up of anti-social behaviour and minor crimes, such as criminal damage, in communities where the people responsible do not live within the area covered by the order.

"Individuals and groups are often excluded from an area using the dispersal order before minor incidents have the chance to escalate.

"The conditions of the order can be enforced by police officers, special constables and police community support officers and are additional to the powers that officers already have to deal with anti-social behaviour.

"The areas subject to this order will be regularly patrolled and a zero tolerance approach taken to any anti-social behaviour or offending."

The Old Town and Well Lane order covers Lowood Drive, Well Lane, Westgate, Avenue Park, High Street, Squire Lane, Medforth Road, part of Jameson Road, Stepney Grove including the car park, Dragon Lane, Market Place, Gordon Road, Flag Yard, Well Lane bypass flyover, and part of South Back Lane, and garages off Easton Road.

It will last for the next two months and means a constable in uniform can order a group of people to disperse if he or she has reason to believe their behaviour could result in a member of the public being intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed.

Young people who do not live in the area can be made to leave it and not to return within a given period. Between 9pm and 6am, if a youth is under 16 and is not under the supervision of a parent or responsible person, the officer can take them to their home.

In Flamborough, where mainly elderly residents have complained about intimidating gangs of youths, under-age drinking and verbal abuse and damage to property, the order covers High Street, Post Office Street, School Lane, Allison Lane, Tower Street, the village hall and the library.

Laura Lever, Safe Communities Officer for East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: "We're responding to reports logged with police regarding anti-social behaviour.

"The behaviour of some young people in the area is not acceptable. We are therefore working closely with Humberside Police to address the problems identified in certain parts of Bridlington," she said.

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