YOUTHS hanging around a village store have been accused of intimidating residents with their drunken behaviour. Most of the youngsters are only aged between 13 and 15 so are too young to buy alcohol from Tesco Express in Andrew Close, Shenley but are alle

YOUTHS hanging around a village store have been accused of intimidating residents with their drunken behaviour.

Most of the youngsters are only aged between 13 and 15 so are too young to buy alcohol from Tesco Express in Andrew Close, Shenley but are allegedly sending older youths in to buy it for them.

Shenley Parish Council clerk John Marks said: "There is no suggestion that Tesco is selling it to them but they are getting hold of it somehow.

"I think a lot of the problem is boredom and I know our neighbourhood policeman is very keen on soft-pedalling on this problem. He has managed to befriend some of the youths and is trying very hard to gain their cooperation rather than punishing them."

There have been no incidents of violence so far but residents have complained that they have been intimidated by the lads.

Pc Tom Hardy, who is a member of the community policing team, said: "We patrol this area regularly and I know who all of these youths are personally. I am keen to get some of them signed up to Antisocial Behaviour Agreements as a means of getting them off the streets. Obviously if these agreements do not work then we have to move on to getting ASBOs in place. But I don't want to go down that road if we can find a way of working together."

He said patrols had been stepped up around Andrew Close to try and reassure residents.