Booze ban: £100 fines for town street drinkers in Pontefract and Castleford likely to continue

A ban on street drinking in Pontefract and Castleford town centres to prevent anti-social behaviour is likely to be extended for another three years.
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A public spaces protection order (PSPO) was brought in in both towns in 2017 to clamp down on large groups of drinkers who were intimidating shoppers and causing a general nuisance.

A report said the anti-social behaviour included cases of public "urinating and defecating" in the past.

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The PSPO allows the police to issue on-the-spot £100 fines for those consuming alcohol on the streets of either town centre.

Police and members of the public say they believe the PSPOs have worked since they were introduced in 2017.Police and members of the public say they believe the PSPOs have worked since they were introduced in 2017.
Police and members of the public say they believe the PSPOs have worked since they were introduced in 2017.

These powers are due to expire later this month, but senior councillors are expected to extend the order until 2023 at a meeting next week, after positive feedback from businesses and members of the public.

Castleford councillor Tony Wallis backed the scheme to continue, saying it had made a "big difference" in his town.

He said: "I don't think a PSPO is a permanent solution, but it's coming to the end and it needs to be renewed while we look at the problem.

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"Three years ago I was really alarmed by the number of people coming up to me and saying they were scared to go into the town centre.

"These days, nobody's saying that to me."

A similar order in Wakefield to crack down on issues in the city centre was extended by three years in March.

Local Democracy Reporting Service