POLICE put out an additional public order patrol at the weekend in the wake of recent confrontations between groups from Toynbee School, Chandler's Ford, and Eastleigh's Crescent School.

Spot-checks were made of more than 40, predominantly young people, but no arrests were made and police said they received no significant reports of crime over the weekend.

A knuckleduster, an iron bar and a knife were seized by police after trouble flared between rival teenagers in recent weeks around the Fryern Recreation Ground.

Police said groups of up to 30 teenagers had been involved and vowed to continue to clamp down on what they describe as "yob-bish behaviour" from a relatively small element who were making the lives of local residents a misery.

Following three weekends of trouble around the area of the Fryern Recreation Ground, police made 12 arrests 11 days ago, including one for carrying an offensive weapon and others, in the main, for theft of alcohol.

Last weekend was quieter. Eastleigh-based police sergeant Andy Lupton said: "We have increased our visible patrols, cou-pled with intelligence-led use of stop and search powers.

"This was predominantly targeting the Fryern rec and Chandler's Ford area which had a significant increase in youth disorder and acts of criminal damage taking place."

Sgt Lupton added: "The message is that we will not hesitate to con-tinue this course of action if it is justified."