MOUNTED police have been called in to patrol a troubled Radcliffe estate being terrorised by teenage thugs.

Parents will be sent letters informing them just what their children have been getting up to, even if they haven't technically broken the law.

As reported last week, gangs of up to 40 youngsters congregate in and around St Andrew's Street until the early hours.

They post firecrackers and urinate through letterboxes, smash windows at the homes of terrified pensioners and force some families to live under siege conditions.

But Inspector John Higson, head of Radcliffe Township, has announced a new crackdown on the troublemakers.

He said: "Along with stepping up patrols by Township officers and Special Constables we have begun mounted patrols this week.

"The police alone cannot solve the problem and we need parents to be aware of what their children are getting up to.

"These youngsters may not have broken the law, but because they loiter in such large numbers they can intimidate residents and cause a nuisance.

"So, in cases where they become a persistent problem, and where we have had reason to speak to them on several occasions, we will write to their parents letting them know exactly what they've been doing."

A further strand in the police crackdown will be the presence of public disorder patrols.

Inspector Higson explained: "The vehicle will drive round troublespots in the borough, of which St Andrew's Estate is one, and serve as a deterrent to troublemakers."

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