Skipton Police have called for a "more robust" attitude from local magistrates when sentencing people brought to court on drink related violence charges.

Sergeant Kevin Wilson said the number of violent incidents within Craven had risen this year and the police were not able to reduce these figures without the help of licensees and magistrates.

In this year's Brewster's report, he said: "We need to have those convicted of violence within licensed premises banned (from pubs) so that they become aware that it is not acceptable behaviour and that it will not be tolerated.

"Both the licensees and the police have been disappointed that those responsible for acts of violence within licensed premises have not been given exclusion orders."

However, the Skipton Licensees' Association has issued a number of bans on people who have committed offences in licensed premises.

Sgt Wilson said the bans were only useful if all licensees stood together and when the offenders appeared before Skipton magistrates, exclusion orders were imposed as part of their sentence.

The police are also in the process of using the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 to have a number of streets in Skipton designated as no drinking areas.

"We hope that this will make Skipton not only a safer place to visit for a night out but also a tidier town," said Sgt Wilson.

He added that there continued to be a problem with people under the age of 18 buying alcohol from off licences, and the number of incidents involving youths in drink was still too high.

To see where youngsters could buy alcohol, North Yorkshire County Council had people in place to do test purchases.

Sgt Wilson reported that during 2002 officers had carried out 1,046 roadside breath tests on motorists within the Craven area. These resulted in 127 arrests for drink driving and 83 of them were charged and placed before the court.

He commended those licensed premises that operated a designated driver scheme.

And he praised licensees for their hard work in preventing disorder and the way they worked alongside the police to maintain good order. He said there were no problem premises within the Craven area.