DRINKING on the streets of Middlesbrough should be banned - according to a survey.

Middlesbrough Borough Council's crime and disorder survey, sent to the town's citizens' panel, revealed that 87 per cent of people were against drinking on the streets.

Young people hanging around street corners drinking and dropping litter was identified as the main problem for residents.

In a report on the survey results, the head of corporate resources, Penny Wakefield, said: "Eighty-seven per cent is a very high response to any survey question, and given the potential profile of the issue of drinking in the streets it is recommended that the police probe the subject in more detail in focus groups."

Answers to the survey differed depending on the area in which residents lived.

Those living in the St Hilda's and Southfield area complained about noisy neighbours, drugs, prostitution and racism much more than those in other areas of the town.

But despite the problems with litter and more serious crimes such as prostitution, only a tiny percentage of those surveyed said they would report these incidents to the police.

Only one per cent said they would tell the police about litter, and 91 per cent of those who had witnessed kerb crawling or prostitution said they had not reported it.

The main reason for not reporting crimes was that residents thought the police would not be interested or the offence was too trivial, and some people who had experienced racism or suffered from noisy neighbours said they would rather sort out the problem themselves.

The citizen's panel is made up of 1,215 residents who have agreed to take part in regular surveys sent out by the council.

The council uses the responses to form policy.