Anti-social behaviour in the town centre will not be tolerated, police have warned.

The warning was made following an incident Sittingbourne when officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team successfully dealt with a group of 20 teenagers who were misbehaving.

The youths, aged between 14 and 19, had been abusive to staff, thrown items off shelves in a number of shops and had ridden bicycles through the Forum Shopping Centre on Thursday.

Police were alerted through Swale Safe, a business crime reduction partnership between shops and businesses, Kent Police and Swale Borough Council.

Businesses are linked via radio to each other, local police and the Borough CCTV control centre, sharing information on criminal activity.

Officers identified the group and ordered the youths to leave the area.

Anyone failing to do so, or who returned to the area, faced arrest.

The Neighbourhood team’s prompt actions were welcomed by both traders and shoppers.

Neighbourhood Sgt Dan Worthington said: “We were concerned about this group and their behaviour and deployed nine officers to the area, dealing firmly but fairly with them.

"Our actions show that conduct like this will not be tolerated.”