MARLOW'S reputation would be damaged if anti-social behaviour was allowed to go unchecked and continue, the town's MP says, as he backed the crackdown by police.

Dominic Grieve said that creating a dispersal zone to tackle rowdy behaviour which has blighted residents' lives will not harm the town.

He said Marlow is the part of his constituency most vulnerable to attracting trouble, as seen on Regatta festival weekend.

But he believes the move to issue gangs of loitering youths with the warning to leave to be arrested is sensible.

Mr Grieve told the MFP: "I don't think it's going to damage Marlow's reputation that these steps have been taken.

"Marlow's reputation would be damaged if the people who come in to Marlow to enjoy themselves and live there think this is a town where there is anti-social behaviour that seriously impacts on others peoples well being and enjoyment.

"The fact these measures have been taken won't in themselves be a deterrent to people.

"It strikes me as a very sensible well thought out move to deal with a problem which has been seen to be developing."

The power to create a dispersal order is not new but has just not been widely used, said Mr Grieve who is the Government's top lawyer as the Attorney General.

He explained that the town is perhaps unique among those he represents in Parliament.

"Marlow is unusual in the context of my constituency in that I think it's the only place that could be described as a place of resort, a place where people come for recreational purposes from outside," he said.

"I don't know with the nature of this dispersal order who is responsible for it but I can see that the place can act as a magnet for people to come in and be rowdy."

Having spent many Friday evenings in Marlow after a day in the constituency, often dining at Pizza Express in the High Street, he said, despite seeing some drunkenness, he has never found it a frightening place.

"On the whole Marlow doesn't have a reputation for that (rowdy behaviour) at all. It's a place where I'm always very happy."

The Conservative MP has received no letters on the subject.