KERB crawlers face a driving ban under a crackdown announced by the courts.

New, local guidelines say magistrates on Teesside should consider disqualifications of at least 14 days, with a longer ban if there are aggravating features.

Leo Murphy, the chairman of the Teesside Bench, said: "Since magistrates are people drawn from the local community, they are very much aware of the effect of offences such as kerb crawling on people's lives.

"We always aim for consistency in sentencing, and these new guidelines were fully discussed by the magistrates before being adopted.

"Any potential kerb crawler should be aware that they risk losing their driving licence if they come into the Teesside area to commit this offence."

The guidelines, drawn up by the Teesside justices, list factors the Bench must consider when sentencing a kerb crawler.

These include whether motorists soliciting for sex approached children or women who were not prostitutes, had travelled a long distance to the area, whether they were in a group and whether there was evidence they had annoyed or upset people in the area at the time.

Justices' clerk Sin Jones said the sentencing guidelines provided a starting point in which the facts of each offence can be considered.

She said: "Repeat offenders, and offenders who are causing particular nuisance can expect a more severe sentence than the guideline.

"On the other hand, the impact of disqualification can bear more heavily on some people than others, and courts have to take that into account."

The changes were welcomed by Middlesbrough Council, which said they reflected the serious nuisance kerb crawlers cause.

Councillor Barry Coppinger, the council's executive member with responsibility for community safety, said: "We welcome the fact that consideration of a driving ban is an integral part of the sentencing process. It sends a clear message that if you come to Middlesbrough with this activity in mind, then you face a financial penalty, acute embarrassment and a good deal of wholly deserved inconvenience to your personal and working life."

In a report to MPs, Cleveland Police proposed driving bans and endorsements for persistent kerb crawlers several years ago.