WARRINGTON people are being asked to have a say on plans to stamp out anti-social behaviour caused by street drinking across the borough.
The borough council has launched a public consultation on an alcohol Public Space Protection Order (PSPO).
It is part of the Warrington Community Safety Partnership’s wider work to improve safety in public spaces.
If introduced, the PSPO would serve as an update to Warrington’s currently active “Alcohol Consumption in Designated Public Place Order”. This existing order, which expires in October, covers most of the borough, supporting the work to tackle alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.
Consultation over the PSPO will see the public asked if they would like to see one for the entire borough, or for specific “zones” within Warrington where there is police evidence of persistent alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.
The zones which have been identified, following comprehensive evaluation carried out by the council and Cheshire Police are:
Stockton Heath Village Centre, Lymm Cross, Latchford Village, Orford Park, Santa Rosa Boulevard, Birchwood Shopping Centre, Mary Ann Meadows and Asda, Westbrook, Warrington town centre and Orford Lane.
The council’s lead member for environment and public protection, Cllr Judith Guthrie, said: “These proposals are an important part of our wider work to make Warrington a better place to live. The existing order we have in place brings real benefits, by helping us manage problem areas and reduce the impact of street drinking. These PSPO proposals aim to enable this work to continue, supporting our on-going work to keep our
communities safe.
“I believe that this is an issue that many people will have opinions on and that’s why it’s important that we consult fully on these proposals. We want to get everyone’s views about whether they’ve been affected by alcohol related anti-social behaviour and where the PSPO areas should be. No decisions will be made until the views of the public are taken fully on-board.”
The PSPO would not mean a ban on public drinking, but would enable greater control of it where it is causing problems, such as large groups of drinkers intimidating residents or passers-by. Measures in place would include police being given additional powers to confiscate alcohol where there is associated anti-social behaviour. However, as well as enforcement, there would be an equal focus on support for those involved in this behaviour.”
Public consultation on the proposals is now under way and runs for seven weeks, until 5pm on Sunday April 30.
For more information and to contribute to the consultation, visit
www.warrington.gov.uk/consultation, email [email protected] or write to Warrington Borough Council, New Town House, Business Intelligence Service, Buttermarket Street, Warrington WA1 2NH.
Do you want a clampdown on street drinking?
44 Comments
4 Comments
Let young people have their fun – life’s hard enough as it is.
The problem arises from those who after a few drinks seem unable to have fun without making the lives of other people a misery. They seem hell bent on picking fights, as our newspapers report almost on a weekly basis.
this should not cause any problems,controlled drinking areas make sense. however make sure it is done correctly I have had personal experience were a popular bar by a harbour location in wales had to to bar you drinking outside because the council had issued a blanket ban,think about it before going legal
The real problem as highlighted on a TV documentary a few days ago is that many go out to town ‘Pre Loaded’, in other words have a good few drinks at home first thus arriving in town already well on their way to being drunk …