A TEENAGER accused of terrorising his neighbours has denied charges of anti-social behaviour.

The boy, 14, and his 10-year-old brother face an application by West Dorset District Council for anti-social behaviour orders.

Hamish Dunlop, acting for the council, said the boys threw faeces over neighbours' fences, verbally abused people and played chicken with cars in the Dorchester area.

District Judge Roger House, sitting at Weymouth Magistrates Court, heard the offences spanned a year and included racial abuse, firing BB guns, throwing stones and putting glass in the road.

The oldest boy, giving evidence, admitted putting water balloons in cars' paths but nothing else. Mr Dunlop suggested the boy did it for fun and disregarded the danger it posed to drivers.

The boy said: "How's it dangerous? Why are drivers going to swerve to avoid them? It's only water."

Mr House heard the boy drinks beer and that a nearby shopkeeper had banned an employee from serving anyone in the family for fear it would be served to the accused.

The boy admitted going to a neighbour's house after drinking to bring his younger brother home but said the woman would not let the younger boy leave with him.

The boy said: "She said 'no' so I got angry and swore at her.

"She came out and tried to push me up the garden."

The boy denied throwing faeces over fences, riding a bicycle over flowerbeds in Dorchester's borough gardens and riding motorcycles in the street.

The boy admitted being caught riding a motorcycle between 20 and 40 mph on fields at Thomas Hardye Leisure Centre by Inspector Les Fry of Dorchester Police.

Insp Fry, giving evidence earlier in the hearing, said: "I say that the parents are unable to control these boys and if we don't do something now, as a community and with agencies working together, they're going to go off the rails and get serious criminal records."

Insp Fry added that he had felt like he was 'under machine gun fire' at the first public meeting he went to with complainants in the case and had tried every means possible to help the family involved.

Ian Graham, representing the 10-year-old, said he would not be calling his client to give evidence.

The case continues.