POLICE seized a considerable bounty of alcohol after an undercover operation across Newton Abbot parks at the weekend.

Responding to a barrage of complaints from residents regarding the antisocial behaviour of youths, two officers, PC Ian Russell and PCSO Shaun Woodward, set out on a plain clothes crackdown centred around the Bakers Park and Bradley Woods area.

The operation, which was carried out on Friday and Saturday evening, was deemed a success with the number of complaint logs from residents considerably down on previous weeks.

PCSO Woodward said: 'The main calls that we've received have been about the noise. Litter and petty damage has also been a problem around the Bakers Park area in particular.

'Most of the operation was a case of confiscating alcohol from the groups and offering words of advice about the dangers and consequences of their actions.'

PC Russell said that most of the groups, despite being angry at having their drinks taken away, were receptive to the police's words.

The two officers found the gatherings to contain a cross section of young people ranging from 14 to 18 years.

One occasion on the Friday night saw the officers called to Asda after staff reports that a girl was intoxicated and had vomited in a bin within the store.

Upon arrival the police found the 14-year-old asleep on a bench inside the store. She was subsequently taken home in a police van.

Catherine Field, of the recently formed Friends of Bakers Park, was delighted with the initiative – after her group, the police and council officers held a recent meeting about the problems of antisocial behaviour in the area.

'We're very pleased. The response from the police has been really fast and we hope to keep the relationship going.'

She stressed the importance of residents continuing to contact the police about such matters.

Officers at Newton Abbot Police Station will now evaluate the results of the whole operation and decide on the future course of action in the area.

PC Russell said: 'Adults buying alcohol and passing it on to youngsters is much of the problem that we need to address.

'Future operations may involve plain clothed officers combing local stores to catch the culprits.'

PCSO Woodward joked that the seized alcohol would unfortunately not be used for a police party – and will all be poured down a drain.