A man has been banned from the borough of Watford until 2016 as the council and police celebrate a drop in anti-social behaviour in the town over the past four years.

Since 2010 the number of reported incidents has reduced by 40 per cent.

Elected Mayor Dorothy Thornhill said: "Anti-social behaviour can make life miserable for residents.

"By working together with our partners, and with residents feeling more confident to report incidents, we have bought about major improvements."

Watford Borough Council attribute the success to initiatives such as the introduction of Scan Net technology which enables local bars and clubs to verify customer identification.

Also the town's new CCTV control room, which records footage digitally and can transmit images wirelessly, and an ongoing commitment from the council and police to crackdown on repeat anti-social behaviour offenders.

In one example an amendment was made to an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) against an individual which means that they are now banned from entering Watford until 2016. 

Such an amendment is extremely rare, and this is the only amendment of this category ever achieved in Watford.

The amendment to Mr Pemberton’s ASBO was made on August 15 at St Albans Magistrates Court.

Mayor Thornhill continued: "Unfortunately this individual was resistant to all forms of help and as his behaviour descended to appalling extremes we recognised that seeking to ban him from Watford was the safest and fairest response for our residents and visitors.

"I am extremely grateful to PC Mohamed Huzair from Hertfordshire Constabulary for his dedication and hard work in bringing about this result." 

The amendment was sought and financed by Watford Borough Council and was brought about in conjunction with the police following a joint investigation which took more than a year.

Mr Pemberton's original ASBO related to not being drunk and disorderly, or physically or verbally threatening, begging, encamping outside residences and business in the town or enter NHS property without appointment or requiring emergency treatment.

PC Mohamed Huzair of Hertfordshire Constabulary said: "This is a great example of partnership working and I would like to thank those who came forward to assist with the investigation including residents, local businesses and councillors.

"We take incidents of anti-social behaviour very serious as it can have a negative impact on people’s quality of life. Achieving this result for the people of Watford took a great deal of hard work but it will mean they will no longer be impacted by this individual."