In the first six months of the Enough campaign, in Berwick, Northumberland, alcohol-related violent crime fell by 47% and there were no serious assaults.

There is a heavy police presence in the town's pubs and clubs each weekend and officers talk to drinkers.

Now other rural areas are looking at what has been done in Berwick and whether it could be used as a model.

Insp Martin Baylis, from Berwick Police, said there was a two-stage approach to their work at the weekends.

Unacceptable behaviour

On Friday and Saturday evenings, extra officers go to underage drinking hotspots where they speak to young people, confiscate alcohol and take them home if appropriate, and parents are informed.

He said the idea was to involve parents and the education and health networks so they could work together to tackle the problem.

In the second part, officers visit pubs and speak to licensees and look for people getting excessively drunk and boisterous and tell them their behaviour is not acceptable.

He said: "What we are doing is making them aware that their behaviour is unacceptable and it isn't going to be tolerated in Berwick where you can come and have a good night out, behave responsibly, really enjoy yourselves in a safe environment."

Berwick community safety officer Gerald Connor said it was a long-term programme and there had been inquiries about it from other rural communities.