JACK Straw has ordered a crackdown on travellers who break the law or behave antisocially in North and East Yorkshire.

The Home Secretary has told police and councils not to tolerate such behaviour "in any circumstances". He has issued new guidance on allowing unauthorised traveller camps.

Ministers are concerned that the concept of "toleration" in previous Government advice was widely misunderstood by local authorities and police.

Some councils felt this meant they could not deal with unauthorised camps, even if travellers were committing offences or causing a nuisance.

Mr Straw stressed police and local authorities had powers to deal with troublesome camps but sometimes failed to do so because of the confusion.

The Home Secretary said: "It is completely unacceptable that a small minority of law-breakers feel entitled to blight the lives of the local community with anti-social behaviour and criminal activity."

All breaches of the law by gipsies or travellers should be dealt with by the police as they would with any other person.

Councils may start immediate moves to evict antisocial travellers who refuse to abide by a departure date from an unauthorised camp.

But if travellers are not causing problems, a mutually acceptable leaving date could be agreed.

Councils should produce leaflets explaining their "code" for dealing with unauthorised camps.

Officials should regularly visit them to ensure they are not causing problems for local residents.

Julian Pheby, a trustee of the York Travellers' Trust, who has represented many travellers in eviction cases, said: "This is really a consolidation of what has been done previously. It sounds as if he's taking best practice from certain local authorities and turning it into something which can be applied by all local authorities.

"Problems often arrive as to how speedily evictions should take place.

"City of York Council takes a pragmatic even-handed approach on the whole, that's my own view, whereas other authorities in Yorkshire take a different stance.

"I hope this will eliminate the worst practices, bring up the standards and standardise approaches."