PEOPLE who have protested for four years about anti-social behaviour in a local park could see action taken soon to resolve the problem.

The nuisance at the park owned by Home Housing, in Newton Aycliffe, has been caused by teenagers using a football pitch as a place to meet and drink.

Talks were held on Thursday with local people, the police, Sedgefield Borough Council leisure services and Home Housing representatives to discuss ways of resolving the problem.

Councillor Vincent Crosby, who organised the meeting, said that a partnership approach would be taken to tackle the problem.

It was agreed at the meeting to remove the football pitch and replace it with climbing rocks, suitable for eight to ten-year-olds.

Coun Crosby said: "That will deter the older ones who go there to drink and be a nuisance. We don't want to stop people enjoying themselves, but this park is for young children. We don't want to remove the park, just make alterations to it."

He said he did not believe it would merely move the problem elsewhere in the town.

The borough council was building youth shelters for older children in Newton Aycliffe, which had been used in other towns across the country and had reduced anti-social behaviour, he said.

A follow-up meeting will be held in October, by which time the work should have been completed, Coun Crosby said.