Police from Glasgow were called in to deal with the ongoing issue of antisocial youths causing trouble in Cumnock last weekend.

Officers on horseback, on quadbikes, and also drone operators were being used to tackle the problem that has blighted the area in recent weeks.

Drones were flown over the Woodroad Park area searching for misbehaving youths, after Police Scotland received complaints about youths drinking and acting antisocially.

The extra presence of police officers and equipment is part of Operation Ellipse, a collaboration between community policing teams in Cumnock and East Ayrshire Council, designed to address a rising trend of antisocial behaviour in the area.

The initiative is set to finish at the end of November.

The aim of Operation Ellipse is, as Chief Inspector Steven Meikle, Area Commander in East Ayrshire and Chair of the Community Planning Partnership’s Safer Communities Delivery Group has said, “making the community a safer place to live and understand the impact antisocial behaviour has on the lives on individuals in our communities.”

So far there have been reports of officers charging people with offences such as vandalism and breaking and entry. A number of young people under the influence of alcohol have been taken home and one woman was charged for buying alcohol for minors.

Two weeks ago, equipment at a playpark in Woodroad Park was set alight by vandals

Michael Mcpake, a member of Cumnock Community Council, said in response to the vandalism of the playpark: “People are absolutely horrified. Last weekend was a nightmare here. People are really sick to death of the vandalism but what has been done to the kiddies play area is terrible.”

At this stage it is not clear what the plan is for policing the area when Operation Ellipse ends.