DOUBTLESS many people in Penhill will be breathing a sigh of relief at the news that teenager Liam Walsh has been banned by the courts from certain parts of the area.

He was made the subject of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order after being accused of terrorising the neighbourhood.

If he breaches the order he could be up before the criminal courts and could face punishments, including detention.

Liam, 13, was said to have led a gang, which caused grief to a large number of people in the areas around Braydon Court, Clive Parade, Everleigh Road Community Centre and the library.

Swindon Council's solicitor, Francis Maples, rather dramatically said: "We heard the community's pain and tried to do something about it."

But Mr Maples also commended Liam for complying with an interim ASBO granted back in May.

And Liam's family have raised a petition of several hundred signatures, saying he has been treated unfairly. They insist he is not a bad lad and has been let down by a lack of facilities for young people locally. They add an older man led him astray.

He is only the second person in the county to be made the subject of an ASBO, so it is rather early to know how effective the orders are in reducing anti-social behaviour.

Youngsters should expect to have council, police and other agencies' support in dealing with their problems, rather than facing court action. But in extreme cases, an ASBO may be the only effective way to deal with the problem and members of the public deserve to live their lives in a non-threatening environment.

Whatever the cause of Liam's trouble-making behaviour, let us hope the order will serve to bring peace to the lives of Liam and others in his community.