PUB landlords in Cricklade will be urged to get fully behind the town's Pubwatch scheme in readiness for a possible increase in bad behaviour this summer.

Acting Sgt Stephen Harvey says there is not a great anti-social behaviour problem in Cricklade but the warmer weather may encourage drinkers to spill out into the streets or hang around after closing time instead of heading straight home.

He therefore wants the licence holders of pubs in the town and nearby areas to be ready to prevent disruptive customers from causing trouble elsewhere.

The scheme involves venues sharing information about troublemakers among themselves and with the police.

Acting Sgt Harvey said: "It has been some time since we have had a meeting, but I am personally confident that the Pubwatch scheme will be soon running smoothly.

"Some licence holders have different ideas of what Pub- watch means. We have to get together and formulate similar objectives."

He said that licensing laws would change in the coming months, meaning participation in PubWatch would become a condition of being able to sell alcohol.

"Cricklade officers will be working hard to get it fully up and running before the summer," he said.

"We don't have that many disorder problems, and the anti-social behaviour situation has become so much better than it used to be.

"But it might be an issue in the summer, where people might not disperse so quickly because of the pleasant balmy weather."

Steve Robbins, landlord of the Bear, said: "Cricklade does not have an anti-social behaviour problem.

"The system we have of ringing around the other pubs when there is trouble is already effective."

Mark Whittam, landlord of the Red Lion, said: "If someone is violent we automatically ring around the other pubs out of courtesy.

"To be fair, this hardly ever happens but a Pubwatch scheme is a good idea. It will ensure a safer environment for the entire community."

The Red Lion is a part of the Cirencester Bob scheme, as is the Vale Hotel, which means a drinker banned from one of the pubs under the scheme would be banned from all of them.

The Cricklade Pubwatch scheme does not currently dictate this action.

Mark Ingle, owner of the Vale, believes drinkers who cause disorder should be automatically barred.

He said: "We do not want them here. Pub watch is about the safety of people who use the pubs and people who live in the town."