AN anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) has been imposed on a teenager after 73 arrests.

It was granted by Sunderland magistrates against 19-year-old Thomas David Allen, from Hartside Road, in Sunderland.

He was convicted of being drunk and disorderly and absconding. He was fined £160 and given a two-year Asbo.

Allen was prohibited from being drunk in a public place, consuming alcohol in a public place and banned from entering Mowbray Park or Bishop Morton Grove and causing harassment alarm or distress.

He has been arrested 73 times and has convictions for a variety of offences including burglary, theft, drunkenness, criminal damage and various public order offences.

Inspector Gordon Makepeace, of Northumbria Police, said: "This man has persistently committed offences in the Hendon area, many of them alcohol related.

"He has frequently acted in an anti-social manner when he is in a large of group of younger people.

"This behaviour has had a negative impact on the community.

"We hope that this Asbo will improve the quality of life for many local people. It shows the police can work effectively with partners to take actions against the small minority of individuals who disrupt community life.

"This is part of Operation Gryphon, a long-term operation to tackle anti-social behaviour across Wearside, helping to make communities in Sunderland feel safer by taking positive action."