PROBLEMS caused by youths drinking and intimidating other residents on a Guisborough estate are to be tackled.

Residents on the Wilton Lane Estate are said to be so intimidated by the youths they are unwilling to report incidents to the police, because they fear reprisals. An attack on one man left him with a broken jaw.

In addition to being intimidating, youths cause trouble by drinking, having sex on over-grown pathways, and there are drugs issues.

The issues were discussed at a recent meeting of local councillors, police, crime prevention, neighbourhood services, housing association and education representatives.

The meeting was organised by Coun Keith Pudney, who represents the estate.

Youths disrupted his ward surgery recently, by throwing glass bottles at the community centre.

He said: "There are a lot of good people on the estate, but a few others are making life very miserable for them. We want to work out a way to address the issues with a more holistic approach."

Supt Dee Collins, head of operations in the Langbaurgh division, said they needed people to come forward and report incidents, no matter how trivial, so they could build up a picture of what was happening and tackle problems effectively.

"Part of the problem is that people have got to the stage where they are unwilling to come forward as formal witnesses because they worry about reprisals, but if people do come forward we will do our best.

"We want to encourage them and reassure them measures are in place to protect them. It's not just up to us and the other agencies; the residents have to get involved as well."

She said a number of elderly and vulnerable residents on the estate might perceive groups of youths as intimidating.

She accepted some were behaving anti-socially, and suspected there were three or four key ring leaders. She said the agencies involved would speak to youngsters to try to tackle the problems.

Iain Sim, chief executive of Coast and Country housing association, which owns most of the former council houses on the estate, said the association would work with residents on a range of solutions.

And he warned: "As landlord we can take action against perpetrators of anti-social behaviour, provided they are our tenants and provided we have sufficient evidence to do so."

Paul Kirkham, director of neighbourhood services at Redcar and Cleveland Council, said the authority would work with Coast and Country, to tackle litter problems.

A meeting in September will assess the situation.