A PERSISTENT drunk who has served more than 80 prison terms has become the subject of the region's first permanent Anti-Social Behaviour Order (Asbo).

The order against repeat offender John Newman, 39, covers England and Wales and has no time limit.

Newman was the subject of one of the first Asbos to be issued in the UK after drunkenly harassing shoppers in Durham City.

He also repeatedly dialled 999 for ambulances for no reason.

He then began commuting from his home in New Brancepeth, near Durham, to cause havoc in Newcastle.

Newman, who is in prison for another matter, appeared before Newcastle magistrates yesterday after a string of offences in the city centre.

Inspector Damian McEnroe, of Northumbria Police's Asbo unit, said: "He was a repeated pest, whether diverting ambulance services or harassing people in the street."

The order bans Newman from using the 999 system to call for an ambulance unless it is an emergency.

He is also banned from drinking alcohol in public and barred from any anti-social behaviour, or inciting others to behave in such a manner.

The order comes into force when he is released from jail in January.

Only two days before the Newcastle hearing, Durham Constabulary applied for a second Asbo to cover the Durham area.

A force spokesman said: "He was a drunk and nuisance on a mammoth scale and has been a persistent problem for several years."

Newman was first handed a four-year Asbo in June 2000, after repeated cases of drunken disorder and phoning ambulances.