BUSINESS people in Gillingham today called for tough sentences and more anti-social behaviour orders after 13-year-old triplets who terrorised town centre traders were convicted of breaching orders imposed on them.

Shane, Natalie and Sarah Morris, of Richmond Road, Gillingham, were convicted yesterday of breaching the orders, imposed after they ran riot for months.

Colin Hogan, chairman of Gillingham's Shop Safe scheme, said today: "We will find out at the sentencing whether the ASB's really have teeth, but provided they do, we could do with more of them, imposed more quickly.

"Apart from that, it is important that some action is taken to stop these kids being free to offend in the first place. That may be by working with the schools to ensure they attend when they are supposed to, or bringing their parents to court if they are not supervising their children."

Mr Hogan, owner of Medway Pets, said her High Street shop was now logging incidents involving another group of tearaways.

"We obviously feel that the principle of ASBOs should be extended, because the problem will not go away with one group of kids ending up in court," she said. "Something must be done about the length of time it takes for ASBOs to be served."

Medway Youth Court heard yesterday that last October 11, the children led a fracas outside Woolworths in the town, which led to them being accused of breaching the ASBOs.

Anne Echlin told them: "All three of you are guilty. You have breached the orders made. You have behaved badly by shouting, swearing and making rude signs. You were told not to do that."

The children first appeared in court on January 29. When they appeared in court last year they were warned they could face detention if they breached the orders.

The children will return to Medway Youth Court on March 26 for sentencing. In the meantime they remain on conditional bail to stay at their home address between 8.30pm and 7am and not enter Gillingham High Street.