POLICE have arrested two 15-year-old boys as part of a proactive policing operation responding to “dangerous and reckless” anti-social behaviour offences in South Gloucestershire.

The teenagers were arrested for breaching a dispersal order, which has been put in place to help officers proactively tackle anti-social behaviour problems in the Barrs Court, Longwell Green and Oldland Common areas of South Gloucestershire.

The boys were collected from custody by their parents and no further action will be taken.

In addition, an 18-year-old man was given a street caution for possessing cannabis, while a 16-year-old boy was arrested and street bailed for the same offence.

The dispersal order was set-up following serious offences committed in the early hours of Wednesday morning and will remain in place for this weekend.

In one incident, five young people wearing balaclavas threw bricks, concrete blocks, wood and manhole covers off a bridge over the A4174 near Longwell Green into the path of oncoming traffic.

There were additional problems with debris being thrown in the Oldland Common area on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

Chief inspector Mark Evans said: “Some of the anti-social behaviour occurring in the area is extremely serious and could result in fatal consequences.

“This is highly dangerous and reckless behaviour and we’re taking action to ensure these types of incidents do not re-occur in the future.

 “Up until now we’ve been using dispersal powers to move on those causing problems but we’ve now reached the stage where we’re making arrests with the intention of bringing offenders to justice for their actions.

“I’m appealing directly to parents to ensure they know where there are children are, as this anti-social behaviour is occurring late into the night and the early hours of the morning. We believe some of those involved are as young as nine.

“I’d ask parents to have honest and frank conversations with their children about the potentially damaging consequences of getting involved in disruptive or criminal behaviour, as just one reckless action could have a lasting impact.

“There will be additional patrols of the affected area as part of a proactive policing plan.

“Preventing anti-social behaviour is one of our Force priorities and we’ll take all necessary measures, using all the powers and tools available to us, including making arrests, to ensure the local community and road users are kept safe.”