A MAJOR crackdown on anti-social behaviour is having a positive effect in a village near Worcester, with groups of youths being dispersed and extra patrols by police.

Last month we reported how villagers in Kempsey were pleading for more to be done to stamp out yobbish behaviour blighting the village.

At Monday night's Kempsey Parish Council meeting Inspector Clive Griffiths told councillors and residents that one youth had since been sent home to Birmingham, another had been put into respite care, another was receiving support and another was now in work.

He said the police had made arrests for criminal damage and public order offences and were also working towards issuing a number of anti-social behaviour orders.

"This village has one of the most dedicated local policing teams anywhere," he said. "We have put extra patrols in the village at the expense of other areas.

"But this is all short-term. We need to address the underlying causes of this anti-social behaviour."

Villagers had been keeping a log of the anti-social incidents, including the vandalism of an historic 250-year-old bridge, youths playing football in the middle of the A38, criminal damage and other yobbish behaviour.

Mr Griffiths said a multi-agency group had now been set up to combat the anti-social behaviour in the village, including working with the local youth club to provide a place for young people to go.

He said: "Kempsey is an excellent village and the problems can be resolved with effort and a positive attitude."

One resident at the meeting said she had noticed a marked improvement in the behaviour of youths in the village.

She said: "They have started talking to us rather than just grunting and they have been playing sensibly at the Rocky."

Councillor John Michael agreed there had been a change. "There has been some dramatic improvements in the last few weeks," he said. "There are no large groups of youths wandering around anymore and there are no longer the problems there were many months ago."

A special box is to now be put in the village shop, where residents can log any incidents or concerns, which the police will then analyse.