A CURFEW to keep disorderly youths - who drove four traders out of business away from a shopping centre - has had to be scrapped on a legal technicality.

But a new ban, known as a dispersal order, will come into effect at the Gibside Shopping Centre in Chester-le-Street, next week.

The previous order came into force on March 1 after Durham Police said that the late-night behaviour of up to 40 children, some as young as ten, had caused four of the six shopkeepers there to pack up and leave.

Residents and people working in this area were said to have had their lives blighted by underage drinking, drugs, anti-social behaviour, graffiti, violence, harassment and abuse.

The order, in force for six months, gave officers the power to order groups of two or more youngsters to leave the area, and tell non-residents to move on and not return for 24 hours.

It also meant that, if necessary, under-16s could be escorted back to their homes between 9pm and 6am.

To meet legal requirements, notices were placed in the area seven days before the curfew came into force, outlining the nature of the order and the powers under which it had been issued.

But although no objections were raised to the Chester-le-Street order, a legal challenge to similar measures in South Yorkshire queried the wording of the seven-day notices.

That legal challenge was successful, meaning that other forces with orders in place had to withdraw them.

But Durham Police, which withdrew its order in Gibside on Tuesday this week, has posted new seven-day notices.

It means a fresh dispersal order will take effect at a minute after midnight on Wednesday.

It is due to run until the end of August.

Chester-le-Street Community Inspector Paul Anderson said last night: "The new order has exactly the same terms of reference as before and it will continue to be used as a means of tackling anti-social behaviour in the area.

"Since March, there has been a significant improvement in the quality of life for people in the Gibside area. We will do everything we can to ensure that continues."

The dispersal order was brought in under section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act.