ANTISOCIAL behaviour from Southampton's student population, overcrowded roads and too many flats being built in the city were just some of the concerns raised by residents' associations to leading council figures at a meeting in the Civic Centre last night

Nearly 30 representatives from Southampton's residents' groups grilled members of the city's ruling Liberal Democrat Cabinet on a number of key issues facing the city.

Top of their agenda were concerns about drunken and rowdy behaviour by young people in the city - as well as the problems caused by large numbers of flats being built on sites previously occupied by family homes.

The meeting, the first of its kind in Southampton, brought associations face to face with the city's leaders.

Also among the key worries aired at the meeting were problems for residents finding places to park their cars near areas where there were large numbers of "homes of multiple occupation".

Liz Woodford, of Bitterne Park Residents' Association, told Cabinet members that people in her area were "very concerned" at the way Bitterne was losing its character as large numbers of flats were built.

She said: "There are all sorts of different areas in Southampton. We really do have to hang on to as much open space as we can. They are knocking down big old houses and they are being replaced by blocks of flats."

Jean Wawman, of the East Bassett Residents' Association, told the meeting that people in her area were affected by having a large body of students living locally.

She said: "There is a problem of lack of co-operation from some students in the creation of noise and parking problems.

"There is a cost to residents in the city in creating and maintaining residents' parking schemes. There is the problem of drunken behaviour and vandalism by some students."

She added that there was a need for a genuine partnership between the institutions of higher education in the city and resident populations.

City council leader Councillor Adrian Vinson said that the council was aware of the pressures from having such a large number of students living in the city.

But he stressed that "not everything" that went wrong in the city could be blamed on students.

He said: "I certainly know of cases where students are assumed to be responsible and it turns out to be young people who are not students."