THIS week the Government announced a crackdown on nuisance neighbours and accused local councils of not using the powers they have to fight anti-social behaviour.

Birmingham was named as one of four so-called "trailblazer" areas where families who cause persistent problems could find themselves enlisted on parenting classes, losing their right to buy their council home or having their tenancy curtailed.

Because crime in general is relatively low in the Malvern area, the issue of anti-social behaviour takes on an even higher priority here.

Malvern Hills District Council claims to have been successful in resolving three-quarters of the 70 complaints it has received about anti-social behaviour in the last nine months.

It has even set up a facility on its website where victims can fill in a form to make it easier to complain, which can be found under the information about the Community Safety Partnership.

Currently there are four areas of the district which are involved in schemes to target anti-social behaviour, so-called Neighbourhood Development Plans.

Unfortunately, we can't tell you where those areas are or what the plans involve because the council won't tell us.

Persistent offenders deserve to be named and shamed. There is still a reluctance to name particularly young offenders on whom Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have been imposed and yet it is up to the whole community to help police these orders and to do that they need to be trusted with the information.