A hotline set up to deal with crime and antisocial behaviour has attracted so many calls an extra case worker has been hired to deal with troublemakers.

The It's Your Call helpline was launched by Brighton and Hove City Council at the end of February and took 279 calls in its first five weeks.

It allows people to report antisocial behaviour ranging from marauding teenage gangs to dog dirt.

The council promises to send postcards to all callers telling them what has been done in response to their complaint.

Similar projects have been set up in larger cities such as Newcastle and Sheffield but are taking fewer calls.

So far more people have called to complain about illegal fly tipping than anything else, followed by abandoned cars and graffiti.

Jonathan Fortune, the council's head of operations, said the number of complaints about gangs of youths causing trouble had convinced the Government to cough up the cash for an extra case worker.

He said: "We are getting around 60 calls every week, which I put down to the good publicity we have had about the campaign in The Argus and elsewhere.

"We are getting a lot of calls and they are all being dealt with."

Since the campaign was launched fly tips have been cleared up, abandoned cars have been towed away and graffiti has been cleaned off public buildings.

Offensive scrawls on the side of a shop were cleaned off by council workers within 24 hours of being reported and noisy neighbours, who attracted dozens of calls, are being visited by environmental health officers.

The council plans to extend the campaign by reaching out to people who have not used the telephone line before, such as young victims of crime and people from ethnic minorities.

The council will be carrying out a survey later this year to see whether callers are happy with the service.

To report antisocial behaviour call the It's Your Call helpline on 0845 6052222.