TWO teenage brothers issued with Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have been banned from meeting in public.

Simon Smith, aged 16, and Steven Smith, aged 17, of Stockdale Grove, Breightmet, were members of a nine- strong gang that terrorised residents and shopkeepers in the Bolton suburb.

In March, police and council chiefs attempted to stop the violence by using new fast-track powers to apply for interim ASBOs.

The special powers allowed the authorities to apply for the ASBOs without any of the gang members being present in the court. Two of the nine were already the subject of ASBOs and police served the remaining seven with orders following an ASBO court hearing of unprecedented scale for Bolton.

Yesterday, Bolton magistrates set-out the terms of a full ASBO for both brothers, which will remain in place until May 2009.

The chairman of the bench said: "Over the past two years your behaviour has been quite disgraceful.

"A lethal combination of drugs and alcohol caused you to be completely out of control.

"You are now young men . . . and should be behaving as such.

"I am pleased to hear that the interim order has been seen to be effective and we have agreed to make an ASBO for a period of two years, but make no mistake, if you breach it we will see you back in court and there will be serious consequences."

The brothers are banned from meeting each other in public; possessing alcohol in a public place other than on a licensed premises; being with two or more persons and behaving in a manner so as to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any other person; using or threatening violence; using threatening, abusive or foul language in public and damaging or threatening to damage property.

They are also banned from being seen in public with the seven other members of the gang also served with ASBOs.