A LEADING light in providing housing in the county is helping to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Members of Festival Housing Group, which manages about 8,000 homes, said that it is doing more than ever to create real communities during a progress session at the Guildhall.

The group owns property in both Worcestershire and Herefordshire and was given a two-star rating - labelled good' by the Audit Commission last year.

At a progress session with the city council scrutiny committee, the group revealed it deals with about 100 complaints of anti-social behaviour a year.

It has started to hand out anti-social behaviour feedback questionnaires and take persistent offenders into behaviour' contracts.

The feedback forms help bosses know where troublesome areas are likely to develop, while the contracts keep yobs in line.

Clare Huyton, executive director at the group said: "We get more reports of anti-social behaviour than we used to, and we work closely with the police to help deal with problems.

"We can do things like enter into behaviour contracts with tenants, but what I would also say is that it is not only young people who cause anti-social behaviour - the first person we had a contract with was in their 50s.

"They can do it at all ages. It can be catastrophic and de-stabilise communities.

"We deal with about 100 low level complaints of anti-social behaviour a year and about three big anti-social behaviour problems at any one time."

The news of contracts is a welcome one to the city council, which has called for a clampdown on the yob culture in the past.

As the Worcester News reported in October, Coun Bob Peachey called for a drinking ban to apply to the whole of the city to help bring peace to our communities.

Festival Housing Group was established in 2002 following the merger of the Partnership Housing Group and Spa Housing Group.

It is looking to expand in Worcester and develop more homes in the Faithful City.