A VILLAGE which has been plagued by youngsters' anti-social behaviour is hoping to have turned a corner in its efforts to tackle the issue.

Middleton St George has suffered problems over the past year with youths causing trouble.

The Water Park has borne the brunt of the damage, with teenagers drinking and taking drugs in the area, as well as so-called boy-racers driving through at high speeds late at night.

But the parish council heard this week that many youngsters were simply bored because of a lack of things to do and they wanted to submit a wish-list to community leaders.

Children from the village are planning to make a presentation at next week's council meeting.

Councillors said the youngsters had suggested the move themselves and would outline the type of provision they would like to see in the area - to prevent them facing criticism for congregating on the streets.

Chairwoman Doris Jones said: "We feel as though we're starting to get a bit of a level playing field with these kids. They're bored out of their tree in this village because there's nothing for them to do.

"They want to do a presentation to explain what they would like to see happen, and when and where, and I think we owe them that.

"It's magnificent that these young people have an interest in where they live."

The council will also consider setting some time aside at future meetings for youngsters to air their views.

At the meeting on Monday, councillors also heard that the levels of anti-social behaviour at weekends had decreased in recent months, particularly because young people who do not live in the village were not congregating.

PC Boyd Rowe said: "The amount of kids on a Friday night has diminished, but that's not to say there are no problems.

"We got in touch with the bus companies about kids coming through and we waited for them. If they weren't here for any particular reason, they were advised to go home."