South Woodham teenagers have hit back at a curfew which will ban them from the town centre at night during the summer holidays.

But police are standing firm over the measure, which bans under 16s from the town centre after 9pm and gives officers powers to move anyone of any age congregating in groups out of the designated area.

The comments come after teenagers hit out at the curfew, calling it 'ineffective', 'patronising' and 'completely unnecessary'.

Matt Keogh, 15, of Bucklebury Heath, said: ''There is a problem with vandalism in the town, but I believe that simply stationing extra police officers in the town centre is enough of a deterrent, and keeping teenagers out of the town is not necessary."

Insp Chris White said the amount of damage done in the town centre has dropped significantly since the order was introduced.

He said: ''I fully accept that the vast majority of kids in South Woodham are good and the majority have been inconvenienced by a minority of others. On the other hand both the police and the council have had tremendous feedback since the dispersal order came in about the fact that we are not getting large hoards of children hanging about in groups and intimidating people."

Published Thursday July 15, 2004

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