YOBS and vandals causing trouble in Kidlington have been beaten thanks to a police crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

Shopkeepers said a dispersal order to stop teenagers causing mayhem in the High Street was working.

The order, which allows police to move on anyone gathering in the village centre for 24 hours, came into effect three months ago.

Traders had complained of youngsters shoplifting, intimidating customers and causing vandalism on the High Street for months, before the police and council applied for the powers.

Sgt Colin Travi said: “In October and November, the situation was a little bit better than previously.

“In December we saw a huge reduction in problems. The youngsters know the drill now.

“They know the places where, if they hang around, they are going to get moved on. A lot of the behaviour has changed, so when they are still hanging around, they are not causing any problems.

“We all agree it needs a bit more to crack it completely, but we are doing a lot of work behind the scenes.”

Since the order was implemented on Monday, October 11, some 82 people have been told to leave the area, but the last time police invoked their powers to order youngsters out of High Street was Friday, December 3.

A 15-year-old girl was arrested and charged on Saturday, November 20, for breaching the order, and four boys were caught returning to the High Street on Sunday, November 7. The group, aged between 13 and 15, ran into two police community support officers minutes after being told to leave the dispersal area and were given Youth Restorative Disposals, handed out for low-level crime.

Officers also visited their homes to speak to their parents.

More than 30 shops signed a petition calling for action in September because of the escalating problem.

Tony Wright, the owner of Predator Angling Centre, said: “I think the order has definitely done some good.

“They were getting diabolical and really frightening old and vulnerable people.

“A few of the hardcore are still a pain, but generally it has got better.”

One shopkeeper, who was calling the police twice a week at the height of the trouble, said she had not complained for a month.

She said: “We had shoplifting, people shouting abuse and intimidating customers.

“The police have definitely cracked down on the main culprits, but we need the dispersal order to be kept. They are not as aggressive now.”

The order could be renewed for another three months by Cherwell District Council this week.