YORK city centre is under siege from a chain gang. Children as young as 11 cycle into town night after night to drink alcohol, vandalise property and shout abuse at anyone nearby.

This must stop. York has always valued its reputation as a small, friendly city. We should not allow groups of bored, ill-disciplined youths to turn it into a no-go zone by teatime.

It is not surprising that residents, intimidated by large groups of aggressive youngsters, stay away. Tourists who encounter these gangs are unlikely to come back: a new survey shows York is falling well behind Leeds as a favoured destination. Meanwhile, shopkeepers, market stall holders and restaurateurs are losing money.

All because we cannot control our children.

The first responsibility lies with the parents. Anyone with a child who regularly cycles off after tea should make it their business to know where they are going and what they are doing. Just because the children are out of the house does not mean they are out of parental care.

Next, the police should do more. Encouragingly, new patrol patterns and more community support officers have been brought in to tackle the problem.

Yet traders still describe the situation as "anarchy". Patrols alone are not enough. The ringleaders need to be brought to book. It should be possible to compile strong evidence against them: surely that is why we pay for city centre CCTV surveillance.

Finally, the courts must take a touch stance with the culprits. Impose curfews, ban them from the city centre, use every new measure to tackle juvenile offending. That might just shock them away from a life of adult criminality.

Their present behaviour brings shame to our cycling city. It is time to put the brakes on the bike gangs.

Updated: 10:48 Thursday, September 11, 2003