A councillor claims yobs are urinating, jumping on cars, swearing, fighting, knocking walls down and generally making people's lives a misery, particularly in the numbered streets in Horden.

Horden councillor Dennis Maddison insists the problem is getting worse, especially since the arrival of the light nights, and says residents have had enough.

Members of the Horden Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Pathfinder are holding a stakeholder meeting to come up with ways of getting youths off the streets and guiding them towards other activities that will stop them blighting residents' lives.

Although the Pathfinder scheme is aimed at providing activities for all children, it is hoped that it will attract the ones causing trouble by giving them an interest.

Coun Maddison said: "I've had complaints about anti-social behaviour around 11pm and midnight.

"Over the last four months it's got worse and worse.

"They are that bored that we have got to put something in place. It's not 10pm, 11pm or midnight that they are hanging about, it's now getting to 2am, 3am and even 4am.

"They are standing around people's houses, swearing and urinating, it's getting worse.

"They were knocking down walls, fighting and jumping over cars.

"It's happening all over the district, in Horden and Blackhall and particularly in the numbered streets and Cotsford Park areas of Horden. We have highlighted where the trouble is."

Coun Maddison said the Pathfinder was introducing as a multi-agency approach, and suggestions coming into the scheme included a youth cafe.

He admitted: "We haven't got a crystal ball. We are looking into getting outreach workers and getting them to interact with the kids.

"It's their time of life. They should be telling us what they want.

"Not all kids are bad. It's only the odd one and everybody gets tarred with the same brush. There are some good kids out there."

The stakeholder meeting, which will be attended by Coun Maddison and representatives from agencies including the Pathfinder, the District of Easington Community Safety Partnership and Horden Youth Club, takes place tomorrow.