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The orders, backed by Prime Minister Tony Blair as part of his new moral crusade, are one of the most controversial of the government's new anti-crime initiatives.

Critics say they are an infringement of children's rights and are too punitive.

The Local Government Association says they should only be used as a "last resort".

But supporters, including the Association of Chief Police Officers, believe children's rights have to be balanced by the rights of communities to be free from vandalism and intimidation.

The orders were introduced as part of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and came into force on 30 September 1998.

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The government says they aim to stop under 10-year-olds at risk "from getting involved in crime and prevent early criminal behaviour from escalating into persistent or serious offending".

They allow the police and local authorities to apply to the courts for a ban on children being out alone at night in specific areas.

But no local authority in England and Wales has yet used them.

'Unworkable'

The Children's Society says this is because they are "unworkable".

A spokesman said: "The trouble with this blanket approach is that it is unnecessarily draconian.

"Communities are not about control containment policing, but about cooperation, citizenship, allowing people responsibility and giving them the opportunity to express that.

He added that they could undermine the government's "more constructive" parenting initiatives.

"We need to allow parents to take responsibility for some of the decisions they make," he said.

Protection

The Children's Society was more positive about a Scottish initiative which emphasises child protection rather than punishment.

The South Lanarkshire Child Safety Initiative, now called the Children and Young Person's Safety Initiative, was piloted in three areas of Hamilton in 1997.

Last year, the initiative was extended to the whole town until October when it will be evaluated.

The initiative, run by Strathclyde police and South Lanarkshire Council, gives police patrolling the streets at the weekend the power to return unsupervised children under 16 to their homes if they are deemed to be at risk of or involved in danger or crime.

"It is meant to ensure young children do not find themselves in dangerous situations," said a spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council.

The initiative sprung out of a citizen's jury, the first in Scotland, where members of the public expressed concerns about vandalism and underage drinking.

In the first year, 280 children were returned to their homes, with only five being subject to criminal charges.

The children returned included those found drunk on the streets, a four year old found running between parked cars and children wandering around lost on the streets.

The council says both parents and children are behind the initiative and claim it has cut crime by up to a quarter.

Curfews came in under the Crime and Disorder Act

The biggest drop was in an area which also operated an anti-social neighbours campaign at the same time.

An independent study of the first six months of the pilot found that 87% of parents and nearly 50% of children returned home backed the scheme.

The extension of the award-winning scheme was accompanied by an announcement of �3m for youth programmes.

The Children's Society says children at risk need protection, but a spokesman added that simply returning children home might not be the answer.