Extension to Pontefract and Castleford street drinking bans approved

Bans on street drinking in Pontefract and Castleford have been extended, as councillors say the measures are helping to cut anti-social behaviour.
By David Spereall
Published 10th Nov 2020, 16:45 BST
The authorities say a crackdown on street boozing has helped cut anti-social behaviour.The authorities say a crackdown on street boozing has helped cut anti-social behaviour.
The authorities say a crackdown on street boozing has helped cut anti-social behaviour.

Anyone caught drinking alcohol in either of the two town centres can be given on-the-spot fines of up to £100.

The punishments were introduced in 2017 for a provisional three years, following numerous complaints that the boozers were intimidating local people and high street businesses.

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Wakefield Council has now agreed to extend the public space protection order (PSPO) for another three years following positive feedback on the scheme.

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Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Coun Matthew Morley said he welcomed the move, but insisted the rules needed to be enforced by police officers.

He said: "As someone who lives in Castleford, I have seen the difference these orders have made on our streets.

"But at the end of the day they're only effective if the police are able to be out there."

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The government promised last year to recruit 20,000 new officers across England and Wales before 2023.

Figures released in May showed West Yorkshire Police hired 252 new members of staff during the first six-months of the recruitment drive.

Cabinet member for communities, Maureen Cummings said she didn't know how many officers may be deployed in the Wakefield district, but added: "This doesn't just give the police enforcement powers, it gives our own officers the enforcement powers as well.

"We're never going to be in the right place at the right time all the time, but these orders will help us do our best."

Local Democracy Reporting Service