‘We have had enough’.

That is the message from police in Barrow who are fed up with youths causing trouble in the town centre.

Officers say young people have been gathering outside McDonald’s in Dalton Road and hurling abuse at members of the public.

Inspector Jim Bailey said it was time to act on troublesome teens and called for a youth facility to deter anti-social behaviour.

His calls came after a granddad stopped him to tell him he was scared to be in the town centre because of youth behaviour.

The inspector said: “We’ve had enough.

“There are so many other things we have to focus on but we’re being forced to concentrate on the town centre.

“I cannot have a grandfather come up to me with his grandson in fear in his eyes saying I’m scared in this town centre. That is not acceptable in our town.”

Insp Bailey said the area outside McDonald’s was a hotspot for anti-social behaviour and police were working with the restaurant to reduce the problems.

The latest police statistics from August showed there had been 27 reports of anti-social behaviour in central Barrow and 35 the previous month.

Data showed ASB crimes made up 25 per cent of all offences over the last 12 months in the town centre.

And the last two weeks have seen a spate of arrests in the town centre, according to the inspector.

“It comes in peaks and dips and the last couple of weeks have been particularly bad,” he said.

“We’ve been working with the manager of McDonald’s to help the problem, discussing things such as turning off the wi-fi or banning people from the store.

“The town centre is not a good place for young people to go.

“We take children back to their parents and tell them what they have been doing and they have no clue where they were.

“And then when we show them the bodycam footage they are disgusted at what they see.”

Councillor and former mayor of Barrow Bill McEwan also backed calls to tackle anti-social behaviour.

He said: “It really needs addressing.

“It’s getting out of hand and there has been such a rise.

“The problem is we have to find something for young people to do.

“Funding is the problem.”

Inspector Bailey also called for a youth facility, saying prevention was the way to tackle rowdy behaviour.