Police approached Allerdale Borough Council this year to approve the use of antisocial behaviour laws introduced in January. Inspector Dave Barr, who conceded there was a lack of youth facilities in Wigton, said: "There's a shop and a few takeaways, and that's it. If they can give a valid reason for being in the town centre at night, that's fine, but if not, we'll be taking them home."
Barr added that if the initiative succeeds in reducing crime, it could be extended to the summer holidays.
Lynn Healey, project manager at Wigton Youth Station, the town's only free youth centre, said: "They simply don't have anywhere else to go."
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