TOUGH anti-yob powers are "on the back burner" in Ryedale - but police have pledged to deploy them again if needed.

Ryedale's first - and so far only - dispersal order expired earlier this month, and was hailed a success.

But troublemakers have been warned that further orders are possible, particularly at Wentworth Street car park in Malton, should other measures fail.

Six months ago, police deployed a dispersal order in Pickering town centre to tackle the town's so-called "Gang of 11" - a hardcore group of youngsters blamed for much of the town's anti-social behaviour.

The order, which gave officers special powers to split up groups of troublemakers, expired without being renewed.

Fred McManus, of community safety partnership Safer Ryedale, said the Pickering order had "served its purpose".

He said: "The town has been significantly better. The purpose of the order was to cover the summer months and make sure there was no disruption. The incidents and problems are now largely no longer there - the kids themselves are a year older and have moved on to different interests.

"You don't take a sledge hammer to crack a nut - but Safer Ryedale and the police will revisit the order if the need comes about."

Sergeant Roy Brown, of Pickering Police, will be drafting in more officers to the town in the coming weeks to make sure there are no anti-social behaviour flare-ups.

Elsewhere, attention has turned to the problem of boy racers in Malton's Wentworth Street car park. As reported in The Press, barriers will be installed to block three of the four exits to deter the motorised troublemakers.

Mr McManus said: "There is some evidence that they are to a degree self-policing, and beginning to take a more responsible attitude.

"The responsible ones have nothing to fear, but the others will meet with enforcement.

"Certainly at one stage the possibility of a dispersal order was mooted, and it is one that will be kept on the back burner in case other enforcement measures don't work."