A WOMAN who has plagued a town with her drunken and abusive behaviour has been made the subject of an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo).

Magistrates imposed the order on 29-year-old Angela Wrightson after hearing she was continually drunk and disorderly in and around Bishop Auckland.

The catalogue of incidents, between November 3 last year and March 8, included unruly behaviour at the town's hospital, probation service offices, neighbourhood housing offices and the magistrates' court.

She has been drunk and abusive and used offensive language towards staff and customers in town centre shops, stole from an Asda supermarket and was aggressive outside a nursing home in West Auckland.

On at least three occasions, Wrightson, of Teesdale Walk, Woodhouse Close, Bishop Auckland, made hoax 999 calls and was abusive to police officers.

Following an application by Durham Constabulary, the South Durham bench, sitting in Bishop Auckland on Wednesday, agreed to impose a three-year order outlining a number of restrictions on Wrightson's behaviour.

They include forbidding her from being drunk and disorderly in public places, consuming alcohol in any public street or open place, remaining on premises when asked to leave, or entering those from which she has been barred, and trespassing on private property.

It also bans her from entering any National Probation Service office while intoxicated, assaulting, harassing, intimidating, threatening or abusing any person, using obscene behaviour or gestures in public and making hoax 999 calls.

The restrictions will be in force until April 13, 2008.