YOUNGSTERS are to be given meeting places of their own in a bid to keep them off the streets.

Corby Council and the police are working in partnership to fund a £12,000 project for two ‘teenage villages'. The villages are metal structures with seating and are aimed at providing young people with a place to meet friends.

Juvenile nuisance and crowds of children hanging around street corners were identified as problems in last year’s Corby crime audit. Corby Council principal community services officer Peter Floody said: "This will be good news for young people. We will see how useful and beneficial they are before deciding if we can find the money to expand the scheme."

Mr Floody and top police officers are visiting sites to find suitable places for the teenage villages.