Wickford's pubs are fighting back against local lager louts, thanks to a new scheme using the latest technology to slash alcohol related crime and disorder.

Using high tech Vodaphone text pagers, landlords belonging to the new Pub Alert scheme will form a town-wide intelligence network to tip each other off if troublemakers appear.

Pub Alert is the brainchild of the Wickford Pride partnership and comes just weeks after it revealed details of its Shop Alert scheme, which will use similar technology to tackle pickpocketing and other High Street crimes.

Pc Geoff Whiter, Wickford's community liaison officer and member of the Wickford Pride committee, said: "It's early days yet, but we have already spoken to the licensees and all of them favour it.

"The idea is to reduce crime and the related costs to licensees by allowing them to exchange vital information with each other. So if a group of drunken troublemakers is barred from one of the member pubs, the licensee can immediately circulate that information to all the others.

"In effect it will mean that people barred from one pub will actually be barred from all of them, cutting down on a lot of costs and problems for licensees, as well as enabling us to circulate information to them speedily and efficiently."

Wickford Pride - a partnership between the police, Basildon Council, Neighbourhood Watch and local traders - hopes to launch the new scheme on July 26.

Meanwhile, the majority of shops and businesses on the High Street have now signed up to take part in the Shop Alert scheme, which will be launched on Monday.

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