Anti-social behaviour reports top 500 in 2025

City of York Council is considering measures to stop street drinking in the city centre

Measures to stop people drinking in the street, loitering and begging in York city centre could be expanded after hundreds of incidents this year.

A total of 573 incidents of anti-social behaviour were recorded within the city walls in the first seven months of this year, according to City of York Council.

Councillors will discuss plans to expand the scope of public space protection orders (PSPOs) to tackle anti-social behaviour at a meeting on Tuesday.

The proposals include introducing powers to ask people to leave the city centre for 24 hours, remove large groups and ban street drinking.

The PSPOs cover the city centre, The Groves, Union Terrace and Clarence Street Gardens.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, as well as imposing drinking bans in areas where it is fuelling antisocial behaviour, the plans also include giving police and council enforcement officers the power to remove groups of three or more people if they are causing antisocial behaviour.

Anyone asked to leave the city centre for causing antisocial or nuisance behaviour would not be able to return for 24 hours.

Begging and loitering deemed to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance would also be banned.

Prohibitions against nuisance loitering would cover those sitting or laying in the doorways of places such as banks or supermarkets.

Those who breach the orders could be fined or prosecuted in the most serious cases.

Councillors will decide whether to launch a consultation on the proposals - a move supported by North Yorkshire Police - on Tuesday.

The PSPOs have been in place since 2022 but are due for renewal this year.

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