A DEVICE which targets young people has been banned following a campaign by junior politicians.

Members of Kirklees Youth Council last night persuaded their senior colleagues to stop using the Mosquito.

The device emits an irritating buzz which only people under the age of about 25 can hear.

Most adults over the age of 25 have lost the ability to detect the frequency range used due to the natural aging process.

Mosquitoes, which have a range of 25 metres, are attached to bus shelters and shops to stop young people gathering.

Kirklees Council has used 11 of the devices in the past two years, including at Oakes Villa and Lidget Street in Lindley.

But the council’s cabinet yesterday agreed to ban Mosquitoes after hearing from members of Kirklees Youth Council.

Deputy chairman Muney Singh Jauhar told councillors: “We spoke to a wide range of people and explained to them what the device does. Parents were unpleasantly surprised by this news.”

Fellow youth councillor George Lane added: “There are still going to be issues with antisocial behaviour, but there are alternatives to the Mosquito.”

Cabinet member Clr Cath Harris agreed that the devices were unfair.

The Ashbrow Labour woman said: “They punish the majority for the behaviour of the minority and they don’t solve the problem – they just move it on.”

But fellow cabinet member Clr David Sheard said the Mosquito had been effective when used at shops in Scholes near Cleckheaton.

The Heckmondwike Labour man said: “The residents thought it was excellent, but we’ve got to make a moral decision about whether we want to use it.

“Even though the Mosquito does work, I think it’s wrong to use it.”

Cabinet member Clr Peter O’Neill spoke out against Mosquitoes at the meeting held at Crown Court Building.

The Batley West Labour man said: “It’s difficult to see how a device which targets a whole social group as undesirable can be justified.

“It’s clear to me that the Mosquito is unfair and no other group would tolerate being targeted in this way.

The cabinet voted unanimously to ban the devices from all council property – though they can still be used on private land in Kirklees.