A 15-year-old boy is to appear in court charged with criminal damage. 

The teenager from South Woodham Ferrers was arrested on Monday. 

Essex Police said the town had been "suffering from a spate of anti-social behaviour in recent weeks" leading to neighbourhood policing officers launching dedicated patrols to both deter such nuisance and to identify those committing the offences.

Covert work and high-visibility policing, combined with CCTV examination, led to the arrest of the teenager at his home.

He was charged later that day with one count of causing criminal damage in relation to damage caused to a nearby resident’s property off Inchbonnie Road in mid-January.

The boy is currently on police bail prior to his appearance at Chelmsford Youth Court on February 28.