Teen banned from swearing in Gateshead.

An abusive teenager has been handed a civil injunction - banning him from swearing in public.

The 15-year-old boy has been handed the anti-social behaviour injunction after police in Gateshead received a spate of reports of intimidating behaviour.

Residents on the Beacon Lough estate had made numerous complaints about young people gathering in large groups to intimidate residents.

Vulnerable members of the community reported being verbally abused with the teenager in particular being one of the group's ringleaders.

Officers from Gateshead's neighbourhood policing team spoke to his parents and warned him about the impact of his behaviour.

However, the teenager continued to be abusive to members of the public and this month he was handed an anti-social behaviour injunction.

The civil order means he will now have to engage with the Jigsaw project, a diversionary programme aiming to keep children out of trouble.

He has also been made subject to a strict curfew while being banned from entering the area of shops around Sundew Road.

The order also prevents him from using "abusive, insulting, intimidating or threatening language" around other members of the public.

Neighbourhood Inspector Mick Robson, of Northumbria Police, said if the teen breaches the order then he could find himself in front of the criminal court.

He said: "We are always doing work around anti-social behaviour as we recognise the impact it has on members of the local community.

"For many vulnerable residents it can be really intimidating to come out of your home and be confronted with big groups of people who are being intimidating and abusive.

"Over the summer we knew that there were certain groups of people who were causing real issues around the Beacon Lough estate.

"This teenager was identified as someone who was at the forefront of that and we have been engaging with him and his family for some time.

"It is not always appropriate to take criminal action, particularly with children, and so civil injunctions can be the most effective way to tackle anti-social behaviour.

"This order will help curb some of the behaviour that has caused real problems in the estate but perhaps more importantly he will be working with the Jigsaw Recovery Project.

“If he does breach the order then he could face criminal action but we hope that won’t happen and this can be a fresh start for him.

"We want to try our best to steer children away from criminality and this is a really creative way for us to tackle disorderly behaviour but put plans in place to improve the lives of young people."

As part of the civil injunction, the teenager must attend the Jigsaw Recovery Project for six hours a week over the next 12 months.

The project aims to help young people live a more rounded successful and independent life as they make the transition into adulthood.

You can find out more about the project here: https://www.jigsaw-recovery-project.org/

If you have concerns about anti-social behaviour in your community then call police on 101 or report it online at www.northumbria.police.uk/contact.