A crackdown on yobs causing chaos will continue this weekend as police bring in more dispersal orders to deter troublemakers.
Police in Runcorn will again be targeting Trident Park and the busway in the Halton Lea leisure zone, which have endured spates of antisocial behaviour in recent months.
Problems have been so bad at times that some bus services have been diverted or cut short due to vehicle windows being smashed.
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In one recent case, a 61-year-old passenger from Widnes told the ECHO he was left stranded in wind and rain after his return journey was cancelled and feared he might have suffered a heart attack if he attempted to walk home instead.
Police also took to social media to condemn "somewhat weird and perverse" graffiti painted on a wall back in October.
Groups of up to 45 youths were reported have been causing misery around Trident in November with problems including setting fires, smashing windows, turning off escalators while people were on them, and using bikes as "weapons".
As part of the latest attempts to quell the issue, a dispersal order will be in place from 6pm tomorrow to 6pm on Sunday covering Trident Park and busway making it an offence for anyone to return to the area for up to 48 hours.
Officer patrols will also continue.
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Police said actions taken in recent weeks are having an effect.
Chief Inspector Andy Blizard, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit, said: “I’d like to reassure residents and businesses that we have been working to reduce antisocial behaviour and have seen a drop in this behaviour over the past week or so.
“We had one report of youths on the busway, and to their credit, we didn’t need to issue any dispersal orders.
“We will continue with our police presence as half term approaches and we will continue to get the message across that anti-social behaviour is not acceptable.”
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