A dispersal order has been put in place in a Suffolk village as police look to crack down on anti-social behaviour.

The dispersal order has been put in place in Bures, near Sudbury, and will run until 2pm tomorrow, Thursday, July 20.

It was imposed under Section 35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 to tackle ongoing issues of antisocial and disruptive public disorder in the village.

Suffolk police confirmed the order covers pars of both Bures St Mary, in Suffolk, and Bures Hamlet, which is part of Essex.

Officers will be conducting patrols of the area to minimise the likelihood of any further crime or disorder.

The order gives uniformed officers the authority to disperse individuals or groups where their presence or behaviour has resulted, or is likely to result in, a member of the public being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed.

The individuals can be excluded from a specified area for up to 48 hours and if they refuse to follow the officer’s directions to disperse they will be committing an offence, punishable by up to six months imprisonment and/or a fine of up to £5,000.

Inspector Stuart Manels, of Suffolk police, said: "We imposed this order in response to some anti-social behaviour in the area.

“This gives officers extra powers when it comes to dealing with anti-social behaviour and we are focussing additional resources on tackling issues in this area.

"We hope that residents, parents and businesses will support our efforts to make it a pleasant place for everyone.

"This measure gives us more options, alongside our powers of arrest, when dealing with those causing problems."