Dozens of holiday activities have been devised by Castle Point Council in a bid to keep youngsters free of trouble during the long summer break from school.

The move comes after the borough's community safety officer, Ian Kennedy, revealed there was a seasonal increase in incidents of youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

Mr Kennedy said as the weather grew warmer, reports of yobbish behaviour mounted up, coinciding with the school summer holidays.

Now bored teenagers are being urged to sign up to a range of workshops, including cartooning sessions and to make the most of skate park days.

Mr Kennedy said: "The local authority with the youth service, police and the Canvey Island youth project are working very hard to give young people an alternative to hanging around the streets, and sometimes causing trouble.

"We are all really making an effort to do all that we can to relieve the boredom of long school holidays."

For more information on workshops being held for the duration of the holidays, call the council on 01268 882474 or 01268 882476.

Published Tuesday July 27, 2004

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