Barry Island crowd dispersal order extended 24 hours

A dispersal order has been extended after large crowds gathered at Barry Island

A dispersal order used to stop large crowds gathered at Barry Island on Monday night has been extended by a further 24 hours.

The section 35 directive will remain in place until 16:00 BST on Wednesday, and gives police the power to take under-16s home or somewhere safe.

Officers will be able to order anyone causing trouble to leave the area.

Police say the preventative power lets them deal quickly with problems before they escalate.

The order forms part of South Wales Police's Operation Elstree, which is being continued from last year in a bid to keep Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan's coastal areas safe.

The force said last year it resulted in a 32% cut in anti-social behaviour.

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It will involve increased patrols and the use of dispersal powers if necessary.

Elstree covers Cardiff Bay, Penarth, Barry Island, as well as the coastal stretch between Rhoose Point and Ogmore-by-Sea and runs from now until September.

Operation Elstree is to continue from last year and will cover Cardiff Bay, Penarth, Barry Island, and a stretch between Rhoose Point and Ogmore-by-Sea

South Wales Police Insp Stuart McDean said: "Anti-social behaviour and criminality has a detrimental impact on our communities and we will continue to proactively patrol key areas to prevent such activity."

Elstree will also tackle underage drinking, use of off-road and quad bikes and so-called "tombstoning", where people jump into water from cliffs.