POLICE officers are stepping up patrols around Locking Castle in Weston after complaints of youths running havoc. A total of 19 people rang the police after around 100 teenagers gathered in The Maltlands smoking, drinking and being rowdy on Friday night.

POLICE officers are stepping up patrols around Locking Castle in Weston after complaints of youths running havoc.A total of 19 people rang the police after around 100 teenagers gathered in The Maltlands smoking, drinking and being rowdy on Friday night.A mother-of-four, who doesn't want to be named through fear of reprisal attacks, says she is sick of 'mindless yobs' urinating through letterboxes, smashing windscreens and swearing in the streets.The woman, who lives in Puttingthorpe Drive next to Hutton Moor, says groups of thirty youths are gathering at a time and causing havoc in the area.She said: "Kids aged between 14 and 16 are gathering between 8am and midnight.They then cut through from The Maltlands on Locking Castle to the other side of town. "They smashed my neighbour's windscreen and a lady down the road had someone urinate through her letterbox."It's an absolute nightmare. It's terrible as I'm always wondering what is going to happen."Girls as young as 14 are getting paralytic outside. I just think they're mindless yobs."Councillor Muriel Kraft said 100 youths gathering on Friday nights were intimidating local residents.She said: "During the last fortnight the youths have been behaving particularly bad."There's been a lot of drinking and rowdy behaviour in the park on Friday nights."Needles were found over the park which can be quite dangerous if children pick them up."North Somerset Council said they would visit the site for a clean-up and to repair the fencing at the park."Sgt Gareth Starr said: "We've altered our shift patterns as this seems to have become a problem on Friday nights."We will be stepping up patrols on Friday nights in order to prevent similar incidents happening again.