POLICE in Crook say a week-long crackdown on drunken and rowdy behaviour by teenagers has been warmly welcomed by local people.

Operation Cosmo saw police and community support officers join forces with staff from Durham County Council's trading standards department and Wear Valley street wardens.

Acting on complaints from residents and traders, they patrolled both on foot and from marked and unmarked vehicles on various evenings during the half-term week.

Officers watched for signs of under-age drinking, adults buying alcohol for under-18s and anti-social behaviour.

Now the results of the campaign have been evaluated, police say there are likely to be repeat operations in the future.

During the operation, one 18-year-old woman received an £80 fixed penalty notice for supplying alcohol to juveniles, while a 21-year-old man is being investigated for a similar offence. Police confiscated drink from eight people in the streets, with those under 18 taken home and warned in front of their parents.

A total of 24 cans of lager, one bottle of Archers and six bottles of cider were seized and disposed of.

One teenager received a formal warning for possession of cannabis and a 15-year-old girl was removed from the Bar 56 premises and returned home. A small number of counterfeit CDs were seized from one youth and where they came from is now being investigated by trading standards.

"We have received a lot of positive feedback and the operation has proved a very effective way of dealing with a persistent problem," said Sgt Dave Ashton of Crook police.

"We don't want to label every teenager as a potential trouble-maker," he added.

"But alcohol-related disorder in the centres of Crook, Willington and Howden-le-Wear has been a regular source of complaints, and we will certainly consider mounting similar operations in future."

Operation Cosmo was run as part of the force's ongoing StreetSafe initiative.