RESIDENTS “feel their city is being stolen from them” by anti-social behaviour, according to York Central MP Rachael Maskell.

The Labour politician is calling for a review of how bad behaviour is tackled in the city centre after reports of “disgusting” scenes on Saturday night.

Hundreds of residents recounted stories of appalling behaviour including yobs staggering, brawling, jumping on vehicles, littering, vomiting and urinating in the streets. One resident filmed a long trail of blood along Micklegate on Sunday morning, which was said to have been spilt during the Saturday revels.

Ms Maskell said: “There are some people who now refuse to come into the city centre. It’s bad for business and people feel their city is being stolen from them.

“Constituents continually raise this with me. We need to get all the agencies together with representatives from the community. I have done a lot of work on this in the past and it’s clear that the joint operation between the police and other agencies is not working. We need a complete review.

“We need proper protection so people can enjoy a night out - families as well as visitors. Clearly the balance isn’t right.”

Inspector Andy Godfrey, neighbourhood policing inspector for York city centre, said Saturday had been “extremely busy”, in part due to events such as Armed Forces Day, the World Cup and more than 42,500 people attending York Races.

But he added that only 44 incidents were reported to police between 11am on Saturday and 6am on Sunday, with just eight related to alcohol. Six people were arrested and two dispersal orders were issued.

He said: “Since April, we have also seen the seasonal increase in large groups of people visiting the city to drink alcohol. These are often billed as ‘stag and hen parties’, but it’s normally groups of women rather than men.

“Regarding the behaviour of these large groups of people, who are often loud and sometimes using bad language as they walk between licensed premises, it is important to stress that they are not committing crime. However, we recognise this can be intimidating to residents and other visitors who are at nearby shops and tourist attractions.”

He added that police work with licensed premises and the council to tackle anti-social behaviour.

Steve Brown, managing director at Make It York, which promotes the city as a destination, said anti-social behaviour should not be tolerated but that it is a “very difficult” issue to tackle.

He said: “York is a small city and, unlike some of the larger cities, anything untoward going on gets seen by large numbers of people, sadly often children and families. This is clearly unacceptable.

“It is a very difficult issue to tackle. York welcomes millions of visitors and it is a relatively small number who are causing the trouble and upset.

“Only by all the relevant organisations in the city continuing to work together – the police, City of York Council, the York BID, licensing, businesses, travel operators and many others – can the situation be improved.”

Andrew Lowson, director of York BID, which supports businesses in the city centre, said the organisation’s street rangers had not seen a spike in anti-social behaviour. But he said the hot weather means the city is looking scruffier than normal as there has been no rain to wash away spills.

He said: “The feedback was that it was very busy but we haven’t seen a huge spike in activity - there were no mass brawls, it was the usual things. We never condone anti-social behaviour and that’s why we have the street rangers.” He added that the BID street clean team cleared up the blood on Micklegate.

A spokesman for York Racecourse said the senior team meets regularly with police, the council and other organisations, including Ms Maskell and councillors. He said: “These meetings cover a range of topics, providing a dialogue and the chance to explain the positive role that the course plays in the life of the city. They also set out the many active steps that are taken around managing a popular raceday.

“York Racecourse remains willing to participate in wider stakeholder discussions around what are complex challenges for both the city of York and society as a whole.”

Jane Mowat, director of Safer York Partnership, said: “Safer York Partnership members, including the council, British Transport and North Yorkshire Police, send a clear message that the city welcomes those who enjoy our hospitality responsibly. However, we will take action to address issues with the small minority – particularly visible in a small city like York - who abuse it.”