A restaurateur on York's most famous cobbled shopping street has hit out at late night vandals.

Giovanni Crobeddu who owns L'Antica Locanda, in Shambles, said rowdy youths hanging around and vandalising the nearby Newgate Market after dark were making life a misery for shopkeepers and local residents.

Mr Crobeddu said the problems started after the stallholders had packed up and gone home for the day.

He said the vandalism was increasing, but had been going on for about three years and despite constant complaints to the police and City of York Council, it was still as bad as ever.

Mr Crobeddu said: "They jump on the stalls, messing about and smashing them up.

"They must be costing a lot of money for the council and it is a persistent problem that's not going away.

"They have even smashed the window on my restaurant in the past.

"It would be good to see the police getting to grips with the problem and putting some controls in place to make sure it stops because it's unbearable for the people who live and work around here."

The market was originally moved into the area bordered by Newgate, Shambles, Pavement and Parliament Street more than 40 years ago.

Last year shoppers and traders responding to a council survey called on council chiefs to return York's market to Parliament Street.

In March and April 2006, City of York Council interviewed shoppers in the city centre, and found that while more than 70 per cent of people asked were satisfied with Newgate Market, a third said returning the market to Parliament Street would encourage more people to use it.

A straw poll of traders by The Press also found the majority of traders also wanted the market to be moved.

A City of York Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of issues in the area with antisocial behaviour and vandalism, and have also reported these problems to the police.

"Unfortunately, we do have to carry out repairs to the market stalls from time to time and this can be very costly."

Inspector Colin Moreton, of York Police, said: "I will be making the dedicated neighbourhood policing team aware of these incidents and they will be getting in touch with Mr Crobeddu."