YOUTHS could be slapped with an ASBO or even evicted after a ‘spike’ of anti-social behaviour in Wharton, police have warned.

Winsford police have vowed to make anti-social behaviour a ‘priority’ after a rise in the number of complaints in and around the Wharton area of Winsford over the past two weeks.

Sergeant Adam Norton of the Winsford Neighbourhood Policing Unit said there have been numerous incidents involving large gangs of youths roaming the estate, throwing stones at houses, shouting abuse and 'loutish behaviour'.

Sergeant Norton said: “Local residents are, quite understandably, angry and frustrated at this behaviour.

“We will be working in partnership with the community and our partner agencies to tackle this issue and a number of arrests have already been made.”

Police have also been called on numerous occasions to Wharton Retail Park in recent months following reports of rowdy, loutish behaviour in the area.

Police say groups of youths have been gathering in the area, generally in the evenings, often congregating in McDonalds, causing upset to diners and staff.

Officers have begun performing regular patrols of the retail park and police say they are actively targeting the ‘ring leaders’ of the groups of youths involved.

The police said they are considering a wide range of measures to tackle anti-social behaviour in Wharton, including Dispersal Orders, which bans youths from the area for up to 48 hours at a time.

Sergeant Norton said police will also be using anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) and, where offenders are identified as housing trust tenants, will be working with Weaver Vale to evict tenants.

Sergeant Norton said: “Officers at Winsford recognise the destructive effect that anti-social behaviour has on our local communities and we will not tolerate it.

“We would ask that residents of Wharton, the vast majority of who are decent law abiding people, commit to working with us and contact us to report incidents.

Sergeant Norton added: “Dealing with anti-social behaviour is a priority for Winsford neighbourhood policing unit.

“Our officers will not tolerate this sort of disruption to the local community and we would encourage residents to report incidents on 101, or 999 if a crime is in progress.”