POLICE in Thirsk have launched a blitz on anti-social behaviour and criminal damage in the town.

Under-age drinkers have had alcohol confiscated and a man who was supplying the youngsters with booze was given an £80 on-the-spot fixed penalty notice.

The latest crackdown took place last weekend and is set to continue. In total, 46 teenagers were spoken to about their behaviour and 42 had to give their names and addresses to officers from the neighbourhood policing team. Five under-age teenagers had alcohol taken off them and there was also one arrest for criminal damage.

Inspector Sarah Jane Sanderson, who is responsible for Thirsk town, said the high-visibility patrols would continue to curb antisocial behaviour. She said: "Those committing these offences are in the minority, which is a shame because it is not fair on the good kids in Thirsk.

"We will continue to take this hardline approach and I ask parents to be mindful of where their children are on an evening.

"The last thing mums and dads want is a call from the police asking them to attend the police station because their child has been arrested.

"Any form of arrest leading to a conviction or a caution can have a detrimental effect on the future aspirations of young people, therefore, they need to think carefully before they act."

Coun Janet Marshall, the mayor of Thirsk, welcomed the initiative.

She said groups of between ten and 12 teenagers had been gathering in the market place and there had been cases of them intimidating people and outbreaks of vandalism.

She added: "For Thirsk it was a significant level of graffiti and, as a town council, we were having to pay out for repairing things we were hoping to improve.

"It's only a very small number of individuals, but it was not what we wanted in our small market town.

"Our new inspector has taken our concerns on board very early on and initiated these blitzes, which they have done three or four times now."