OFFICERS from North Yorkshire Police and the British Transport Police took part in high-visibility patrols in York this weekend.

The extra presence was part of a crackdown on alcohol-fuelled antisocial behaviour, and saw a number of train services run as 'dry' carriages, with alcohol being confiscated, and drink seized from passengers heading to York.

Acting Inspector Andy Godfrey runs the city-centre team for North Yorkshire Police, and said shifts of more 20 police officers at a time were taking part in the operation, with a passive sniffer dog team posted outside the station to check for people leaving trains carrying illegal substance.

He said: "We're trying to set the tone for the year in what we expect from people visiting York and what we want the standard for and clearly anyone whose behaviour falls below the standard expected will be dealt with.

"We're planning on doing more days like this and we will pick busier days like end of the month, payday, race days and big football matches, and other events around the city so it's not a one-off event that we won't run again."

Services from Middlesbrough were among those which ran throughout the day as 'dry' carriages, and BTP Chief Inspector Derek O’Mara said there had been "a noticeable increase in the number of complaints from passengers" in recent weeks.

He said: "We have seized quite a large amount of alcohol from people travelling to York, most of them have been in good spirit and appreciated why we are having this operation and the reasons for it, but even though we have extensively advertised it will be seized, they still bring it so we're still trying to get the message out to people that too much alcohol causes problems and we are worried about their safety and the safety of other passengers.

"Trains are not extensions of bars and clubs; they are used by everyone including families, young people and the elderly. Other passengers do not want to travel and be subjected to the drunk, intoxicated and often intimidating behaviour of others under the influence of alcohol."

Insp Godfrey said: "What we want at the end of the day is for people to see the numbers we have out - not just the people who are drinking, but the families who have come down on the train, so they can hopefully be reassured that York is a safe place and we're doing all we can to try and maintain it being a safe place.

"We have resources and funds to make sure we can put staff where we need to put them to make sure the city scene is safe for everyone and try and minimise the effects of drinkers and antisocial behaviour spoiling the city for people who are trying to enjoy it."