Over the next two years, £20 million will go towards helping councils and their partners deliver the anti-social behaviour strategies that are a requirement of the ASB bill.

An additional £10 million will be used at national level to support local authorities set up pilot projects using new approaches to combat the problem.

Dundee City Council housing convener Chris Hind said, “We are determined to do everything we can to tackle anti-social behaviour, which is something that unfortunately affects communities throughout the country.

“In Dundee we have demonstrated our commitment to dealing with the problem by being at the forefront of initiatives. We were the first local authority in the country to be granted an anti-social behaviour order, the city’s ground-breaking families project has attracted interest from throughout Britain and we fully support the valuable role mediation has in resolving disputes. The funding will help us continue to use all available means to tackle anti-social behaviour.”

Announcing the awards, Communities Minister Margaret Curran said she expected some of the money to be used to initiate services to encourage victims to report ASB incidents, to offer support when they do report neighbours and to help resolve neighbourhood disputes before they get out of hand.

She said, “While people, irrespective of where they live, have a right to certain basic support, this does not mean that services will look the same across Scotland. Local arrangements need to reflect local circumstances. This is why we place such emphasis on local strategies and why we are working closely with COSLA and other partners.”

Fife Council’s spokesperson for housing, Alex Sawers, said, “The Scottish Executive has kept its promise to provide extra funds to tackle the very real problem of anti-social behaviour in our communities.

”We will ensure this investment will go to a variety of different projects designed to protect people in Fife helping them to live in a safe and peaceful communities.”