A dispersal order has been been put in place around a suburban area in the North East to help curb anti-social behaviour.

Cleveland Police have announced a 48-hour dispersal order covering the area of Berwick Hills in Middlesbrough in response to recent levels of crime and antisocial behaviour.

This comes after police reports of two youths throwing objects at a shop window in the Berwick Hills Centre in Middlesbrough on Wednesday shortly after 7pm.

Staff were reportedly spat at and a door to the premises was damaged in the incident.

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The Northern Echo:

In a statement, Wendy Tinkler, Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team Chief Inspector, said police took this action to deter youths from engaging in anti-social behaviour.

She said: “We won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour that makes the lives of those living and working in the area a misery and we will deal with those responsible robustly.

“We have listened to concerns raised by residents and staff at the shopping area and have conducted a significant amount of work to deter youths from committing anti-social behaviour including a 48-hour dispersal order last month.

“That work is ongoing with extra patrols in the community and partnership work with our local authority colleagues, children’s services and premises managers.”

Read more: Hartlepool: Dispersal order around Middleton Grange Shopping Centre

A door to the premises was also reporteldy damaged in the incident.

Officers have identified those believed to have been involved and enquiries into the incident are ongoing.

A 48-hour dispersal order will be put in place this afternoon from 3pm with officers patrolling the area to ensure the order is adhered to.

This gives officers the power to disperse groups of youths from a specified zone immediately for a period of 48 hours, and those who breach the order can be arrested.

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The order covers areas such as Howgill Walk, Graygarth Road, Crossfell Road, Penrith Road and Ormesby Road.

Police have asked members of the public to speak with them about any issues or concerns they may have.

People can contact Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Team by calling 101.