THE WAR against youth nuisance in Southampton has taken a new twist, with the introduction of a crackdown called Designing Out crime.

Residents in Millbrook, Redbridge and Shirley will soon see council workers take to the streets armed with anti-graffiti paint, new fencing and junior goalposts in a drive to cut out youth crime before it starts.

The project, funded with a £90,000 Outer Shirley Regeneration grant, is the brainchild of community safety officer Bob Reeve.

He told a regeneration board meeting this week: "Children are fed up with having to wait for facilities. They have older brothers and sisters who are working, who waited all their childhood for somewhere to play football. The message we need to get across is: Young people, we care about you and we're going to put some facilities in for you."

Better security will be put in at youth nuisance hotspots in the area - around shops and tower blocks. Residents will be trained up on community safety, to help cut out the soaring fear of juvenile crime.

Simple facilities like goal posts and youth shelters will be put in at parks across Millbrook and Redbridge.

Shopping parades will be in line for more improvements, including training store staff in using anti-graffiti paint, and new lighting will be put in at council tower blocks.

Alley gates and bollards will also be put in on the Channel Islands estate, near Lordshill, to try to stop motorcyclist speeding across paths.

Sue Fletcher, chairman of the regeneration board, said: "Antisocial behaviour is a major issue across the city. We are keen to use the regeneration budget to help tackle this problem and this project should go a long way to help reduce criminal damage, antisocial behaviour and the fear of crime."