Antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) were blasted yesterday as Government figures revealed the number given out in Sussex more than tripled last year.

The system was labelled a "sticking plaster" by MPs who claimed it was not weighty enough to resolve serious problems of crime and disruption.

The criticism came after the Home Office revealed more people are being served with orders banning them from behaving in ways that could cause alarm or distress.

In Sussex, more court orders have been handed out to offenders in the past 12 months than in the previous five years - since the scheme began.

Courts issued 85 Asbos in 2004, compared to 23 in 2003.

They included an 11-year-old girl from Hastings, who was this month the youngest person in Britain to be given an Asbo, a pensioner from Sompting, who was sent to prison for keeping too many vehicles in his property and young people with Asperger's syndrome, an autism-related disorder.

Humanitarian groups raised fears people with mental health issues and young people were being victimised for behaviour that was irritating or eccentric but not criminal.

The figures showed courts across Sussex had dished out 134 orders in the last five years. Eighty-eight were in Brighton and Hove.

Nick Herbert, MP for Arundel and South Downs, said: "There is a big problem that half of the Asbos are breached. I think they can be a good remedy but it needs improvement. It is a sticking plaster approach.

"Asbos take too long and you have the situation where they have been granted for the wrong kinds of behaviour. There have been examples of Asbos which have been used for things that were nuisances than things that are generally in the courts."

Eastbourne MP Nigel Waterson said: "It seems too difficult to get Asbos against people who clearly deserve them, the yobs who make life difficult for ordinary law-abiding people.

"It seems to take an age because there is so much bureaucracy to get through."

Simon Court, solicitor for the Brighton and Hove community safety team, said when the team brought a prosecution, it went through a stringent process to research the person's mental health history and ensure he or she had all possible help, especially if they were under 18.

The team was also aware of the danger of turning young offenders into martyrs through the publicity of an Asbo.