CLIFF RICHARD - CLIFF'S RECORDS DRIVE AWAY YOUTHS

Funfair organisers have stumbled upon a new measure to drive away troublesome youths: Cliff Richard songs.

Bosses at Carter's Steam Fair were becoming concerned at the presence of some youths who weren't causing trouble but were affecting families trying to go on some of the rides.

Seth Carter, who runs the fair, decided to change the soundtrack a little and pumped out some Cliff Richard.

No sooner had the pop crooner begun echoing through the rivets of the dodgems than the youngsters began to scatter.

Mr Carter told Reuters: "It was amazing, just like a scene from [the film] 'Mars Attacks' when the aliens were driven away by the sounds of Slim Whitman."

"From now on if we do have any trouble we have found the perfect deterrent and it comes in the shape of the Peter Pan of Pop.

"Who needs Asbos when we've got our Cliff Richard records?"

The travelling funfair was in Essex at the time of the soundtrack change and Mr Carter told the Guardian that he might continue to use "Cliffbos".

Sir Cliff is set for a busy 2007 and according to his official website he expects to spend most of this year outside the UK.