A FREEZING March night and two bobbies are standing in the middle of a small parade of shops, all but one of which have their steel shutters closed.

There is not a lot happening, most people are at home and there is just the occasional visitor to the convenience store and off-licence.

PC Dave Barrass and Sergeant Rob Smith, from Chester-le-Street police station in County Durham, are braving the cold to provide the police presence for the introduction of a six-month dispersal order.

On Wednesday night, a small area that includes the parade at Gibside in the west of the town became off limits to the groups of youngsters - sometimes of up to 40 - who have been causing problems.

The police, for the second time in County Durham, decided to use the controversial order, which includes an all-night curfew on under-16s, to quell the trouble in the area which includes a workingmen's club, private old people's home and pensioners' bungalows.

Under-age drinking, drug use, graffiti, violence, violence, harassment and abuse are among a catalogue of more than 40 official complaints made to police.

Police can order groups of two or more people to leave the area, order people who do not live there to leave and not return for 24 hours and escort under-16s out between 9pm and 6am back to their homes.

The new powers were branded "draconian'' by the rights organisation Liberty, which won a legal challenge against use of the curfew on behalf of a London 15-year-old who was ordered to leave an area by the Metropolitan Police.

The measure, part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, proved so effective when it was used in the Deneside and Westlea areas of Seaham two weeks ago that the order was lifted two weeks early.

"The problems have gone on for two years. We have run various operations that achieved short-term success,'' said Sgt Smith.

"But this gives you a bit of an edge and a few more powers. We have had vandalism, quite a bit of intoxicant consumption, harassment of shop staff and people using the shops, and wheelie bins set on fire, things that intimidate people and upset the peace.

"We want people to be able to come and go without getting any problems.''

Sgt Smith added that, at Seaham, the curfew "wasn't used much".

"Most of it was done through communicating to people in the area and moving on from that.''

Police, who will have a presence in the area each night, have been telling local youngsters about the order.

"Now it has got out about what we are doing, things are a bit quieter.''

Inspector Paul Anderson said it was a quiet night. "Three youths turned up trying it on but we told them to go away."