EIGHT teenagers have been arrested following a gang attack in a central Darlington park.

The youths, aged between 14 and 17, were traced after police studied closed-circuit television (CCTV) images that showed a couple being surrounded and then punched as they walked out of Stanhope Park.

The couple, in their 20s, were not badly hurt in the assault, but police are treating the incident as serious.

The youths have been bailed to return to the police station in early September.

Police said last night they were stepping up patrols in the Stanhope Park area to combat a spate of problems caused by large groups of youths drinking heavily in the park.

Officers spent several weeks investigating the incident and looking at the CCTV pictures showing about 15 youths in the incident, at about 9pm on July 8.

Sergeant Penny Taylor, beat sergeant for the Cockerton area, said: "The CCTV footage has been excellent. It was CCTV that brought the incident to our attention.

"The control room in the town hall watched the incident and alerted us. But by the time officers arrived, the youths had left.

"It appears that the couple went through the park, past a big group of youths who had been drinking. There was a verbal exchange.

"The couple continued on their way and a group of about 15 followed them out and surrounded them by the roundabout junction between Stanhope Road South and Duke Street. The group became violent and aggressive."

She said the incident had also been witnessed by several motorists, who had been forced to stop their cars because the gang of youths had blocked the roads.

The camera footage had enabled the police to contact the drivers so they could provide evidence.

A spokesman for Darlington Borough Council, which operates the CCTV control room, said: "More than 4,000 arrests have been made with the help of the council's CCTV system since it was introduced. This latest incident is further proof of the effectiveness of the system."