A CRACKDOWN on anti-social behaviour in the Burns Road area of Royston has been described as a success". After a month of police patrols in the area, the problems caused by unruly youths have been stamped out, according to police. Sgt Mike Wood, of Herts

A CRACKDOWN on anti-social behaviour in the Burns Road area of Royston has been described as a "success". After a month of police patrols in the area, the problems caused by unruly youths have been stamped out, according to police. Sgt Mike Wood, of Herts police, said: "Patrolling of Burns Road went well. It was a success. We had no problems on Friday and there were no reported problems in the surrounding locality." David Phillips, deputy manager at the Co-op Foodstore in Burns Road, said his store had previously been blighted by graffiti, anti-social behaviour and theft. "It's all been cleared up for us now," he said. "We worked together with the police and it has proved to be effective. The situation has calmed down greatly." He said there has not been one anti-social incident at the store in recent weeks. Sgt Wood said that the situation has been dealt with by talking to the youths while on patrol, as well as enforcing the crackdown. "We've spoken to a lot of the youths and we've done education as well as enforcement," he said. "We've told them we are doing this because of the bad behaviour and it's dawned on them. The youngsters have realised that what they are doing is unacceptable." Royston's mayor, Cllr Bill Prime, has been working towards solving the problems in Burns Road. He said: "Things seem to have quietened down. I've been back-and-forth in Burns Road after dark and at the weekend and there didn't appear to be a lot going on." The initial decision to tackle anti-social behaviour in Burns Road came after the police received 16 calls to the area in less than a month. However, Sgt Wood said police would continue to work in the area. "We are very happy with the enforcement action that we have taken," he said. "But we are not going to be complacent and we will continue with the initiative and security patrols and we advise the public to report any incidents they may witness.