The Cramlington neighbourhood beat team ran Operation Redhill between March and June after concerns were raised by the residents of Eastfield Dale and Eastfield Chase.

The community was concerned the area had became a hotspot for anti-social behaviour, centred near a garage block in Kinloss Square where groups of youngsters were congregating, drinking and intimidating residents with disorderly behaviour.

The problems included graffiti tags being sprayed onto five garage doors, a burglary to one of the garages and graffiti to a nearby underpass.

To tackle the problem, the neighbourhood policing team joined forces with Blyth Valley Borough Council's Safer Neighbourhoods Unit and Streetcare department to improve the area.

The operation led to 18 arrests and the detection of seven crimes, and the installation of a CCTV camera in Eastfield Dale funded by the Eastfield Estates Community Association also led to a drop in the number of disorder calls to police.

Cramlington neighbourhood beat manager Pc Karl Rutherford said: "This group of youths were clearly disrupting the lives of local residents and after they made us aware of their concerns we set up an operation to combat the problem.

"As well as focusing on the area at the times when the youths gathered, the council ensured graffiti was quickly cleaned up and also looked at tenancy enforcement issues.

"We would always encourage people to contact us if they are having problems – the public play a vital role in letting us know what is happening in their neighbourhoods."

The Cramlington Neighbourhood Team can be contacted on 03456 043043 ext 61843.