More than 100 anti-social behaviour orders were handed out across West Yorkshire in one year – including one to a child as young as 11.

New figures from the Home Office for 2009 reveal the number of ASBOs given out to people to tackle their behaviour was 126, compared with 130 the previous year.

West Yorkshire was one of eight areas to see an ASBO handed to a young child aged between ten and 11. A further 13 orders were given to children aged 12 to 14, and 40 were handed out to teenagers aged 15 to 17.

In addition, 30 orders were placed on young people aged 18 to 20 and the remaining 42 on adults over 21.

ASBOs were introduced by Labour to tackle anti-social behaviour without having to prosecute offenders criminally.

But the controversial method of dealing with abusive youths, noisy neighbours and litter louts became viewed by many yobs as a “badge of honour”.

The system is also criticised for being unsuccessful, with offenders regularly breaching the terms of the orders. Across West Yorkshire, there were 675 breaches of the terms and conditions recorded in the courts.

The new Government has warned the flagship measure has failed to tackle bad behaviour and a Home office review is ongoing into the effectiveness of ASBOs.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Anti-social behaviour can make people’s lives a misery if not tackled at the earliest opportunity. However, there are a number of measures in place to deal with the issue in West Yorkshire.

“Anti-Social Behaviour Contracts are used by police and partners as an effective intervention tool. In many cases this approach has prevented individuals from reoffending. For those that continue to offend, an ASBO can be applied for.

“There are occasions when people breach ASBOs and we are very proactive in addressing this.”

Nationally, the number of ASBOs handed out in England and Wales fell from 2,027 to 1,671.