POLICE will be given powers to impose spotfines of £80 on troublemakers in a north Durham town from the weekend.

And, in a double whammy - targeting the drunk and disorderly, those responsible for creating a nuisance, causing harassment and other low level anti-social behaviour - officers will also be able to invoke powers which can ban offenders from certain areas for up to 48 hours.

The scheme which will be initiated from 7pm on Friday is aimed dealing out swift justice on the streets and cutting the time officers spend completing paperwork and attending court hearings.

Neighbourhood Inspector Dave Turner said he was confident the new measures in Consett town centre would prove an effective deterrent against mainly alcohol-related offending - and give officers extra time to concentrate on more serious crime.

He said: "Those who set out to cause problems and are issued with the notice will also have their photographs and fingerprints taken on new hand-held computers to ensure there is no hiding place."

Offenders could be banned from entering the town centre for up to 48 hours - those who live in the town would be required to find their way to and from their home along a designated route.

Offenders have three weeks to pay up or request a court hearing. Payment involves no admission of guilt. They will not have a conviction recorded against them and no criminal record, but, if they ask for a court hearing, that will be processed in the normal way.

Those who fail to pay the charge will discover the amount will be increased to £120 and enforced as a normal fine by the courts.

Insp Turner said: "The penalty notice scheme is a new weapon in our arsenal to deal with the behaviour that can blight communities and create bad reputations for neighbourhoods. "Yobs who think they can do what they like and get away with it can think again. This is going to hit them hard in their pockets.

"It is a scheme to be welcomed by every right thinking person.

"The police are not against people having a drink and an enjoyable night out but we are against those who drink to excess and, as a result, behave in a totally unacceptable manner."