Kent Police has issued a dispersal order following reports of antisocial behaviour.

It was put in place at 6am on Wednesday after complaints were made about nuisance behaviour in Maidstone.

The reported incidents happened in the Coombe Road and Brenchley Road area, part of Kent Police's "Tovil beat".

Large groups of people were reportedly making a lot of noise, which intimidated residents.

The order means that anyone over the age of 10 can be told to leave the area for a defined time if an officer or police community support officer (PCSO) has reason to believe that the their behaviour is likely to harass, alarm, or distress the public.

These sanctions will remain in place until 6am tomorrow.

Sergeant Nick Hatcher, from Kent Police’s Maidstone Community Safety Unit, said: "Anti-social behaviour is, at its lowest level, a nuisance to people in the surrounding area, however it can also cause people to feel threatened. That is something we cannot allow.

"Once this order has ended we will continue to work with partner agencies to reduce future incidents. If necessary, we will not hesitate to issue a similar order in the future."

Kent Police is working with housing provider Golding Homes to tackle anti-social behaviour in this locality.

Steve Timms, a community safety adviser at Golding Homes said: "We believe that our residents should be able to enjoy living in their properties without feeling harassed or threatened and take allegations of anti-social behaviour very seriously, which in some incidences has led to enforcement action, if evidence has supported it."