It is incredible that the catalogue of anti-social behaviour committed by a 15-year-old, which effectively amounted to an 18 month harassment campaign in his neighbourhood, has only just seen him been given an ASBO by the courts.

Luke Mitchell’s actions included throwing stones at cars, shining laser pens at people, setting fires in bins, racial abuse and harassment of vulnerable people.

All of them are extremely anti-social but some of them are downright dangerous and it is difficult to understand why this young boy has not been dealt with by the police before.

Hopefully, this order will help to ease the months of hell that some living in his community in Thornbury have had to put up with.

Sadly, for one pensioner subjected to abuse by Mitchell and his friends, it has come too late, and he has already been forced to request re-housing by the Council. It is all too commonplace for anti-social behaviour of some degree or another to impact on people’s lives, and it is often young people who are responsible.

The Council must be applauded for the action it has finally taken to put a stop to at least one culprit responsible for persistent abuse and harassment in his neighbourhood. But it has to work with police following this up now. If he breaches the ASBO banning him from streets in his neighbourhood, action must be swift; if he breaches the night time curfew (only imposed for three months), again, the action must be swift.

And if, as Mitchell contends, there are a number of others responsible for this abhorrent behaviour, once more, action must be swift and decisive. No one should have to put up with their lives being made a misery in their own home by yobs in this way.