THREE Cwmbran teenagers terrorised staff at a youth centre and one of them threatened to blow it up.

Now the trio have been ordered to stay away from the centre and surrounding streets - or face jail.

A court yesterday banned the youths from the Ashley House centre in Mount Pleasant Road, Cwmbran, for two years.

And the Argus won the right to name the youths after Abergavenny magistrates decided the case should act as an example to others that anti-social behaviour would not be tolerated.

Craig Gibbs, aged 16, of Church Road, Nathan Mulligan, aged 17, of Five Locks Road, and Scott Barrett, aged 18, of Maes Gwyn Road, did not contest the Anti-Social Behaviour Orders brought against them by Torfaen council.

The court heard how between March and May of this year the three friends repeatedly threatened and intimidated staff at the Ashley House youth centre.

Christopher Tindall, representing Torfaen council, told the court of the youths' "catalogue of disgraceful behaviour".

He said on one occasion Craig Gibbs said to centre staff, "You don't know how much I've got it in for you lot and I'm going to come down and bomb this place." The court also heard how two of the boys approached and intimidated youth centre worker Joanne Marsh outside of work as she was visiting a friend who lived close to the youth centre.

Mr Tindall said: "The staff are experienced youth workers and are not the kind to be upset by four-letter-words but there is a limit to what they are prepared to tolerate and that line was crossed.

"No-one should be subject to that degree of intimidation." Police were called to the centre on several occasions by staff who were afraid of the youths' threatening behaviour towards them and other members of the youth centre.

A letter was also sent to the youths by Torfaen council asking them to stay away from the centre, but to no avail.

In the youths' defence, a statement from a senior member of the local youth offending team, David Geraint Spacey, was read which said the complaints against the youths had been exaggerated.

But Abergavenny magistrates decided to ban the three youths from the area around Ashley House stretching from Mount Pleasant Road to the football ground for two years.

The youths are only allowed to travel through the area on public transport or in a car and Scott Barrett is only allowed to enter Godfrey Road to visit his mother.

The three are also banned from approaching or contacting any member of staff working at the Ashley House youth centre at any time or place.

PC Darrell Dewar, of Cwmbran Police, said: "The lifting of reporting restrictions on this case gives a clear indication the magistrates thought it was in the public interest the boys be identified.

"I hope this sends a clear message that this sort of distressing behaviour will not be tolerated by the public or the police."