Police will have increased powers to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour in Islington for two weeks from tomorrow.

Islington Council and the police have put into place a dispersal order in the Upper Street/Highbury Fields/Liverpool Road area to make it easier to tackle groups of young people congregating over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.

Susan Buchanan, Lib Dem councillor for Upper Street and Laycock Street, said: “There have been ongoing issues with antisocial behaviour in Laycock Gardens so I welcome the dispersal order to deal with the fireworks issue. But the council needs to find a longer-term solution to stop people’s lives being made a misery.

“I am already working to have one of the areas where people congregate removed in Laycock Street but this dispersal order leaves out lots of other areas affected by people throwing fireworks.

“Crime and antisocial behaviour is without doubt the number one issue locally. But there has been no consultation about where this dispersal order should operate. Why is only one side of Upper Street covered?

“And hardly anyone living on estates will be protected. The problem is that the problem may just be moved to across the road.”