A high-pitched device which emits an annoying sound only youngsters can hear has been banned from county hall.

The mosquito first created a buzz in 2006, when it was introduced to deter youngsters from congregating around shops or rail stations.

Since then they been installed across the country in more than 3,500 locations.

Now Kent Youth County Council (KYCC) members have helped to ensure mosquito devices will not be used on any Kent County Council buildings.

The authority is one of the first in the country to take measures to prevent its use.

High-frequency sounds that can only be heard by young people under the age of 25 are emitted by the devices to prevent them gathering outside public buildings such as shops and railway stations.

KYCC members were invited to debate the issue earlier in the year with KCC’s Cabinet.

Now a ban has been agreed and KCC will lobby central government to help enforce a national ban.

This is on the grounds that they infringe young people’s rights and target all children and young people regardless of whether they are behaving well.

Cabinet member for community services, Mike Hill, said:“I am very grateful to the members of KYCC for their involvement in helping to debate this issue and raise greater awareness of it. These devices are abhorrent and give completely the wrong message to our young people.”