A NORTH-EAST supermarket is calling on the services of Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky and Haydn in the battle against problem youths outside its shop.

The Co-op shop, in Cockfield, County Durham, has started to play classical music through external speakers, hoping the youths that congregate around the shop's entrance will see the music as unbearably uncool, prompting them to move elsewhere.

The music can be controlled by shop staff, who can adjust the volume to deter youths who gather outside.

Duty manager Graham Hunter said last night: "There are problems in the village of anti-social behaviour, and we often have groups of youths who hang around outside.

"The classical music has worked extremely well, and while it is early days, we hope it will stop people from congregating outside the Co-op."

Sergeant Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle Police, said the music was part of a number of measures to deter anti-social behaviour.

He said: "The police have been working with the Co-op to improve all areas of security in the store and have installed CCTV on the front of the store as well as the music.

"A lot of youths come into the store for legitimate reasons and we do not want to scare them away; they have as much right as anyone to use it.

"But we thought that the sound of gentle classical music might almost cramp the style of the kids that hang around outside so they will move on."

The police suggested using a device called a Mosquito, which emits a high-pitched noise only audible to younger people, who have sharper hearing than adults.

But Sgt Tuck said: "Despite the fact that the Mosquito is patented and is used in other areas of the country, the Co-op were not keen, so we decided to give the classical music a try."

The introduction of the music outside the Front Street store was prompted by its success at Co-op shops in other parts of the country.

Depending on the success of the scheme, a further 14 Co-op stores in the region are set to follow suit.

A similar scheme at the bus station in Stanley, County Durham, caused problems for neighbours in March.

A timer that turned the CD player on and off was faulty, meaning residents were kept awake throughout the night by the classical music.