TROUBLE-MAKING yobs who intimidated shoppers, as well as groups of boy racers, were banned from Pitsea’s retail park for two days as part of a police crackdown.

Officers from Basildon’s community policing team have regularly been called to Northlands Pavement in Pitsea in recent weeks after a gang of four or five teenagers caused a nuisance to shoppers and businesses.

The teenagers have been spotted running up and down the aisles in the Range and refusing to leave McDonald’s even though they did not buy any food.

Despite officers from the team carrying out patrols of the area and urging parents to keep an eye on where their children are at night, complaints have been continuing.

Police were therefore granted tough new powers to move nuisance youths on.

Over the weekend, lasting from 6pm on Friday to 6pm on Sunday, Pitsea retail park became a dispersal zone and anyone suspected of being involved in antisocial behaviour was given notice to leave.

PC Marek Jaworski, from the community policing team, said: “We gave out 12 notices to leave on the Friday night. Some of them were car cruisers and there were also kids hanging out by the Range. We gave out the notices because we felt that they were causing antisocial behaviour or they would be later.

“On Saturday we handed out nine notices.

“We did notice on both evenings that there were a lot less people in the area. I felt like the message got out. The dispersal order was a success - it did its job.”

Anyone with information about youths in a dispersal zone can call the Basildon community policing team on 101.