Firework set off at police dealing with antisocial behaviour

Image caption, Police say the public should report anti-social behaviour at the 'earliest opportunity'

A police officer has escaped injury after a firework was set off at officers responding to antisocial behaviour in Londonderry.

It happened at around 16:30 BST on Sunday in in the Nailors Road area of the city.

Officers had been responding to reports a group of young people, some with their faces covered, gathering in the area.

It comes as concerns have been raised about crowds of teenagers engaging in anti-social behaviour in the Bogside area of Derry.

Sinn Féin councillor Aisling Hutton said incidents over recent days include the targeting of other young people and vandalism.

Ther have also been reports, she said, of young people entering people's gardens and trying to open the front doors of homes.

That is putting people who live in the community "under a lot of stress and anxiety", she said.

The young people, involved, she told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, were "engaged in behaviour which could cause injury or harm to another person.

"You're talking about vandalism, you're talking about intimidation, trespassing and they're very serious matters that we can't let be normalised because it is young people and people think it's just about a craic."

Image caption, Hutton says young people need to think through the consequences of their actions

She said "a small minority of young people" were involved in an increasing number of incidents there was a concern that they are coming to the area from other parts of Derry.

"It's important as well that we send a message to parents, for them to understand why the child's been dropped off there, where are they going and what will they be doing that evening," she said.

She said any young person getting involved should think through the consequences of their actions.

"What I would always say to a young person is, what if that was your granny's house? What if that was your granddad's house? What if it was your mammy and daddy's house? They're not looking at the damage that they're doing down the line.

"They're not looking at the stress and the anxiety that they're causing local residents."

PSNI Ch Insp Cherith Craig said people had a right to live in peace and the police were "aware of and understand the negative impact antisocial behaviour can have on the local community".

"Be assured, we will continue to work alongside relevant partners and stakeholders to collectively address these issues," she said, calling for anti-social behaviour to be reported to police "at the earliest opportunity".