Police arrest five as young drinkers face crackdown

The north side of the resort has been a haunt for vandals and underage drinkers for years. But in the past there was no one living on the seafront to complain.

But early last summer people moved into the luxury flats and retail development built on the site of the former Corner Complex. Five people were arrested after a gang of about 50 youths was spotted drinking in the area.

Chairman of the Sands Residents Association Jacquie Thompson said anti-social behaviour was the main worry of the new apartment owners.

She said: "Youths hanging around the building can be intimidating for the residents and for visitors. This is not the image of Scarborough we want to portray.

"But a lot is being done by police to minimise the trouble. They were there in seconds." Sgt Rachel Wood said they were aware of the problems in The Sands development area.

"We have put robust plans in place to deal with the unacceptable level of anti-social behaviour.

That had led to the evening arrests. As well as the four people detained, a dozen more were order out of the area under police powers which ban them from returning for 48 hours.

One person was arrested for subsequently breaching their order.

Officers also confiscated large quantities of alcohol from the young people and will be speaking to their parents.

The response to the operation was a much quieter Saturday evening and the community policing team would be repeating the tactics this coming weekend.