Police in Bingley have promised to take tough action against a group of youths who are terrorising shoppers in the town centre.

Officers say the gang have been abusive to people, many who are elderly, and were making life a misery for traders.

It is believed some of the group, who are aged between ten and 16, use drugs and swear at passers-by when they are asked to move on in the town centre.

The gang, which is believed to number up to a dozen, have been spotted causing havoc at various locations in Bingley during the day and in the evenings and have taken items from shops.

PC Martin Preston, of Bingley Police, said the town's Police Community Support Officer was working to stamp out the problems, which he said had been ongoing for several weeks.

PC Preston said the PCSO had made regular patrols of the town centre and would continue to liaise with business owners to halt the trouble.

Letters have been sent to parents of several of the offenders warning them that if the problems persist moves would be made to apply for Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs).

He said: "It's a small group that have come to notice but they are causing trouble and we need names and we need information about them. We're not afraid of using the threat of ASBOs to stop this problem.

"This group are not involved in high levels of crime but they are a nuisance, especially for the elderly and vulnerable, and we will stop them."

Kay Adams, of Kay's Krafts in Chapel Lane and a member of Bingley Business Watch, said members of the scheme had a ring-round system if offenders were seen in the town.

The shop owner said that four youngsters in particular had been a persistent menace during the school summer holiday and had stolen items from shops.

She added that all incidents were reported to the police and that traders were doing all they could to stamp out the problem.

"We are all trying to help fight this problem and make sure Bingley is a safe place to shop for everybody," she added.

Sergeant Esther Hobbs, of Bingley's neighbourhood policing team, said: "We're not going to tolerate this abuse and we're going to take action to stop it.

"The strategy of this police team is to improve safety for people in Bingley and we have pledged to do that."