RESIDENTS on a Bradley Fold estate are hoping for a much quieter life, thanks to a police crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

They have been plagued for years by teenagers gathering on land off Chiswick Drive, and making their lives a misery.

The youths often shout abuse, drop litter, ride motorbikes, drink alcohol and take drugs.

Radcliffe neighbourhood policing team (NPT) is now seeking to resolve the problem.

In a joint operation with Bolton Police on Friday, they confiscated enough alcohol to fill two car boots and took seven youths home to their parents.

Two teenagers were also arrested, one for a public order offence and the other for breaching an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO).

The crackdown has been welcomed by people living in the area, who say they have already seen a real improvement.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said: “This has been a problem on and off for seven years. It has been awful. We can’t even sit out in the garden because of all the shouting. It was good to see the police out in force at the weekend. There have been a couple of people hanging around since then, but generally things are a lot better. Police community support officers are still patrolling the area and I’m hopeful that it will keep improving.”

Police plan to keep working in the area to support both residents and the teenagers acting anti-socially.

They are working with agencies to provide positive activities for the youths, such as sports, and licensing officers will visit shops suspected of selling alcohol to underage drinkers.

Parents are being invited to surgeries at Radcliffe police station and officers will consider imposing acceptable behaviour contracts and ASBOs when necessary.

Sergeant Steve Chapman, from Radcliffe NPT, said: “The aim is to improve life for residents in this area. Police operations will continue to ensure we have a positive outcome in the long term.

“I want parents to be aware what their children are doing and where they are. Anti-social behaviour is an increasing problem with the lighter nights and the summer period approaching and we need to tackle it.”