LOCAL authorities across the North-East and North Yorkshire are going cold on the use of anti-social behaviour orders, the latest figures suggest.

Only 44 Asbos were handed out to yobs, tearaways and nuisance neighbours in the first three months of this year, compared to 107 in the same period of 2004.

The biggest fall was in County Durham (from 30 to four), but Asbos were also less popular in Cleveland (down from 26 to 13), North Yorkshire (22 to nine) and Northumbria (29 to 18).

The dramatic slump was in sharp contrast to the picture across England and Wales, where the number of Asbos rocketed by 85 per cent.

Any reluctance to apply for the flagship civil orders will anger the Home Office, which has urged local authorities to make more use of them.

Ministers have pledged greater protection for witnesses and victims giving evidence in Asbo cases and plan to triple the number of special courts where they are fast-tracked. Furthermore, Home Office troubleshooters are available to offer guidance to council officials and police officers on how to put together watertight cases.

But yesterday's figures revealed that the use of Asbos were on the rise in only two North-East authorities - Hartlepool (from zero to two) and Sunderland from (nine to 13).

Meanwhile, the total fell the sharpest in Derwentside (from ten to zero), Durham City (from eight to zero), Redcar and Cleveland (from eight to one) and Gateshead (from seven to zero).

Asbos can be used to stop a troublemaker visiting a particular street or building, or harassing a particular person.

Because they are civil orders, they require less strict evidence than if a person was charged with an offence in a criminal court.

But critics claim the orders are a backdoors way of criminalising young people for bad behaviour, because breaches can result in a five-year jail term.

Although both local authorities and police forces can apply for Asbos, in practice it is councils that instigate most court proceedings.

Unveiling the latest figures, Hazel Blears, a Home Office minister, said "I am pleased that local authorities and police continue to make use of Asbos in tackling anti-social behaviour. Asbos are an effective way of stopping the actions that makes people's lives a misery."

Across England and Wales, the total number of Asbos issued from their introduction in April 1999 until the end of this March reached 5,557.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: "The Prime Minister's 'respect agenda' is in crisis. He promised 5,000 Asbos a year, but in fact it has taken six years to reach that number."