Ferryhill crackdown on St Luke's church yobs a success
A campaign to crackdown on rowdy youths causing trouble in a Durham churchyard has been successful, police said.
Two years ago St Luke's Churchyard in Ferryhill was plagued by anti-social behaviour, illegal drinking, and the criminal damage of headstones.
Police received dozens of reports from elderly people in nearby Garth who were too afraid to leave their homes.
They put on extra police patrols, fenced off trouble hotspots and said trouble has now been curbed.
Officers also carried out regular spot-checks on off licences to make sure they were not selling alcohol to children.
They also worked with school children trying to encourage them to become involved positively in their community.
A Durham Police spokesman said: "Youths were attracted to the quiet, secluded area so they could drink alcohol unseen.
"Residents were petrified by the rowdy behaviour but too frightened to report incidents to the police."