Pupils at Haughton Community School in Darlington, have been banned from Asda at lunchtimes after many complaints about the litter they left behind.

Insp Sue Collingwood, of Dar*ington Police, said: "There used to be a trail of litter from the car park to the school after every lunch break and it became a huge eyesore.

The ban was enforced by members of a new partnership between the police, the store and the school as part of Operation Red Dog, which aims to teach children about litter's impact on the environment.

Haughton School head Mike Davison said: "A small minority of youngsters have been causing problems in the local community, particularly in the Asda store"

The school has been working with Asda, the police and parents to address the problems and pupils have attended special tutorials and assemblies.

One week into the scheme and Mr Davison said the response from youngsters had been excellent, with a marked reduction in anti-social behaviour at lunch breaks.