POLICE have pledged to crack down on groups of drunken men and women plaguing passers-by in a Darlington town centre churchyard.

The drinkers congregate at all hours of the day in the grounds of St Cuthbert's Church, off Church Lane.

Complaints have been received by the police about the drinkers' intimidating behaviour, and they have been taking action to get the people concerned to move on.

The issue has also been raised at a Pubwatch meeting of town centre licensees this week.

Police have said they will arrest those involved for public nuisance offences, if necessary.

Sergeant Ian Martin, who is responsible for the town centre beat in Darlington, said: "This problem has been there for the last couple of months and has been brought to our attention.

"We have been trying to discourage these people from frequenting the area by advising them to move on elsewhere.

"If that does not work, we will now look at other options available, such as arresting them for being drunk and disorderly.

"They can be intimidating if they are under the influence of alcohol, and we are working to eradicate the problem by regular patrols of the area."

The Vicar of St Cuthbert's The Reverend Robert Williamson, said he was concerned by the drunkenness, but claimed it was only a minority causing the problem.

He said: "I do sympathise, particularly with elderly people, as it can be be quite invidious and threatening sometimes to see someone who is clearly drunk.

"And I have sympathy with the people involved, who clearly cannot help themselves.

"Unfortunately, though, this is a long-term problem for society that is not going away very quickly."

Last month, Prime Minister Tony Blair sparked a debate about alcohol and anti-social behaviour when he called on police to impose on-the-spot fines on people found drunk in public areas.

But the idea was quickly rejected by police chiefs, who said such a scheme would be impractical to operate.