YOBS planning to wreak havoc this Halloween may be out of luck with shops told not to sell eggs and flour to youngsters.

Police have told supermarkets and food shops across Southend to restrict sales of the items over Halloween as officers try to prevent antisocial behaviour.

Recent years have seen cars bombarded with flour and eggs in the weeks surrounding Halloween in Southend.

Shops have been told to restrict sales of eggs and flour to youngsters as fears over poor behaviour at Halloween grow.

Community support officers have been delivering posters to shop across the borough and will be patrolling the streets during the Halloween period.

Mark Flewitt, Tory councillor and deputy mayor, backed the idea, and said similar problems occurred last year.

He said: “I welcome this but we’ve got make sure other priorities are being met too. To be hit by an egg or covered in flour is pretty miserable.

“It takes a lot of work to clear up and the cost too. Several areas of Southend could be targets of this over Halloween.

“There was similar issues to this back in the 90s and in the early 2000s. There’s no excuse for this kind of behaviour. They just use it as an excuse to cause damage.

“This sort of thing shouldn’t be happening, especially at the moment. It’s not what anyone needs.”

A spokesman from Essex Police, said: “PCSO’s will be delivering posters to all shops in each area of Southend advising them not to sell eggs or flour to teenagers this time of year.

“Due to Halloween not being far away, we are trying to prevent any anti-social behaviour or criminal damage being caused by eggs being thrown, as this appears to be a common theme.

“PCSO’s will continue to patrol areas looking out for this type of behaviour and will take action accordingly. Halloween can be a fun time for all, if we remember to act respectfully and responsibly.”