A soccer-loving cop is ensuring fair play on his beat by dishing out red and yellow cards to yobs.

PC Kevin Stockley has come up with the idea of acting as a referee if he sees trouble-makers, producing a yellow as a warning and a red for an arrestable offence.

PC Stockley does regular patrols by bike and started using the cards last week after a colleague, who is a fully qualified referee, gave him a full set of cards.

His first yellow card was shown to a group of youths hanging around a pub in his beat area - Ingleby Barwick, Stockton-on-Tees.

PC Stockley said: "I got the card out, gave them a warning and told them that a second yellow card means an anti-social behaviour notice and if I found them committing an arrestable offence it would mean a red card.

"The idea is to break down barriers. Everyone knows it's an official warning when the referee gives out a yellow card on the pitch - and they know what the consequences are if that warning is ignored.

"I have just adapted it to suit the policing needs on my beat - and it works."

He added that one youth was given the yellow card and was later spotted hanging around outside the shops.

He said: "As soon as he saw me he was away - shouting that he didn't want another yellow card.

"There's humour involved in it too because it breaks the ice and gets young people to open up and talk to you.

"But the serious side is the message that bad behaviour will not be tolerated and the young people on my beat know I mean business."