TRADERS in Wroughton are helping police crack down on village vandals - by banning the sale of eggs to youngsters.

The Co-op in High Street and Somerfield in the Ellendune Centre are united in encouraging staff not to sell to children in a bid to stamp out spates of egg throwing in the area.

Wroughton PC Julian Riches told the annual Wroughton Parish Council meeting that police had asked village supermarkets not to sell eggs to juveniles.

"There is a problem with children throwing eggs," he said. "Police have approached shops, encouraging them not to sell eggs to children."

Co-op store manager Nigel Reeves said: "We are aware there is a problem in the village with egg throwing and we are very happy to join with other local retailers and stop selling eggs to under 16s. This is something the Co-op has done in the past and we hope it will help alleviate the problem." And Somerfield store manager Anthony Wilcox said: "The problem comes to a head at certain times, such as Comic Relief Day or the end of term. We try to discourage the sale of eggs to under 16s, though it's not a company policy, it is an agreement with the local police."

Somerfield chief cashier Denise Nicholls added: "I don't sell eggs to youngsters because I've heard of incidents where they've thrown them."

Elizabeth Cooper, head teacher of Wroughton's Ridgeway School, said: "All reported incidents of this nature are followed up by the school immediately."

Crime proved the key concern at the annual parish meeting. The meeting, attended by 30 parishioners, began with a presentation on the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders by Cheri Wright, Swindon Council's Anti-Social Behaviour Coordi-nator.

She explained the orders can be applied for by partners in the community, such as the police and local authority, against individuals aged ten years and above who persist in anti-social acts.

"We are looking for two ASBOs against individuals in Wrough-ton at the moment," she said.

PC Riches said last year there were 338 recorded crimes in Wroughton, of which 27 per cent were detected. "The bulk were theft offences, numbering 108," he said. "There were also 75 recorded incidents of criminal damage, 56 burglaries of homes and businesses and 46 recorded assaults, of which 63 per cent were detected."

PC Riches said the Call a Friend Scheme, originally set up in the village last August and supported by the Advertiser, now has more than 100 members. People signing up to the scheme write down two names and numbers of people they can trust that they can telephone if they are suspicious of callers to their home.