Halloween egg crackdown under way

Police have asked shops to stop selling eggs and flour

Police in the Borders have launched a Halloween crackdown on the sale to young people of eggs and flour.

Operation Gremlin was set up in response to a big rise in complaints of anti-social behaviour in the area last year during the trick-or-treat season.

Many properties in the area were pelted with eggs and flour causing a large number of complaints.

Police have visited local shops to ask them to control sales and said they had received a "positive response" so far.

Lothian and Borders Police said many elderly residents found the egg and flour attacks particularly alarming.

Last year there was a 20% increase in calls reporting such incidents.

There were fears the problem could be much worse this year as Halloween falls on a Saturday.

In order to tackle the issue, police have been visiting local shops to ask them to stop selling eggs and flour.

The scheme is voluntary but a number of stores have agreed to participate.

Extra officers will also be on duty at the weekend to monitor any incidents.