The pavilion in Rawcliffe which was the scene of disturbances

A gang of marauding youngsters terrorised parish councillors by flinging a brick at the window of their meeting room and trying to force their way in through a fire door.

Police arrested two teenage boys after the Rawcliffe Parish Council meeting at the pavilion in St Mark's Grove, York, which has left one female parish councillor so traumatised she will not attend meetings until a new venue is found.

Tough action is also being taken against teenagers found drinking on the children's play park in St Mark's Grove in a separate incident at the weekend.

Beer, lager, cider and spirits were confiscated from the group and letters have been sent to their parents.

In the first incident a gang of around 20 teenagers turned nasty when councillors locked the pavilion door because they had caused a commotion in the lobby.

Vice chairman Coun Bob Eccles said: "There was banging and kicking, rattling of doors and windows and I had to stop talking because the noise was so loud. Suddenly there was this hellish loud bang as a brick was thrown at the window."

Councillor Eccles was escorted to his car as he had to leave early but a fellow councillor encountered fresh trouble on his return to the building.

He was approached by teenagers kicking at the door and took two culprits inside intending to turn them over to the police.

Coun Eccles was told what happened next. "The ones inside were shouting to the ones outside to get them out," he said.

"Somehow they managed to get one of the fire doors open from the outside but fortunately the councillors were able to close it again from the inside. Many of the people inside were quite distressed."

A group of teenagers was also reported causing trouble at the McDonalds restaurant at Clifton Moor on the same evening.

Inspector Howard Harding, in charge of the North York area, said: "The people involved were clearly upset and it's totally unacceptable not to be able to hold a public meeting without being disturbed in this way."

He said the incident was being investigated and statements were being collected but the teenagers had not yet been charged. He said police swooped on the children's playground on Friday night to find drunken youngsters throwing empty bottles at the pavilion.

"We have written to their parents warning them that this is unacceptable and that if their children break the law they will have to pay the consequences."

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