Police are to crack down on nuisance youths in an area of York after repeated complaints from residents about vandalism, under-age drinking, noise and fighting.

Every weekend, four police officers from Acomb Police Station will patrol the shops in Acomb Front Street, Acomb Green and Scarcroft Green on foot.

In the four-week initiative, starting this weekend, police will try to put a halt to what one trader described as a "nightmare".

Sergeant Nigel Tottie, from Acomb Police Station, said the problem with gangs of youths was an on-going issue, but had escalated in recent weeks.

"We are proposing this concerted effort to try to bring a short-term solution to the nuisance activities of these gangs of kids."

Police said they would confiscate alcohol and make arrests if necessary. But Sgt Tottie added: "We will try and disperse them first and talk to their parents about their whereabouts on Friday and Saturday nights."

The news has been welcomed by shop owners in Front Street. Mark Hudson, manager at M & P Travel, said his shop had been vandalised six times in eight weeks. He had received calls from the police nearly every weekend to say windows had been smashed.

He said: "We would welcome anything that the police do to try to curb this problem. These youths are becoming a nightmare for many of us running shops on this street."

Sgt Tottie said this latest project was only part of long-term plans to tackle the problem in the west of the city. He said the police were working with the Safer York Partnership and the Tenancy Enforcement Team.

He added: "The problem is that by moving the youths on they can just go somewhere else and create problems in other streets.

Updated: 12:31 Thursday, February 08, 2001