A dispersal order has been put in place in Leigh ahead of the town's annual Christmas light switch on.

The order will be in place from 4pm on Friday to 2am on Saturday and gives officers the power to order people causing anti-social behaviour to leave the area shown.

It is a criminal offence to breach a direction given under a dispersal order and in the worst cases this can result in a criminal conviction punishable by up to six months imprisonment or a fine of up to £5,000.

Inspector Ian Hughes, of the Southend Community Policing Team, said: “In recent years, there have been problems with groups of young people who attend the annual Leigh Christmas Lights event and behave in an anti-social manner. They have also intimidated members of the public and staff working in local businesses.

“We want to minimise the impact of this kind of behaviour at what is a fun, family-friendly event.”

About 5,000 people are expected to attend and road closures will be in place to give visitors space to enjoy the event in safety.