Council tackles anti-social drinking in public

West Devon Borough Council agreed to a PSPO in response to alcohol related anti-social behaviour in Tavistock and Okehampton

An order to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour in two Devon towns has been given the green light.

West Devon Borough Council said it had agreed to a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in response to problems with excessive drinking in public in Tavistock and Okehampton.

The PSPOs will be enforced by Devon and Cornwall Police and authorised council officials, and will last for three years.

The council said the PSPO does not ban alcohol or stop people enjoying public spaces but helps "deter those whose behaviour is affecting other people".

'Stopping future issues'

Councillor Jane Elliott, lead member for community wellbeing, said the order wasn't "a ban at all" but a "process to give the police the powers to deal with those who do cause a problem and a nuisance for the rest of us".

She said: "The PSPOs cover the entire town areas because if they don't, it simply pushes the issues from the town centres, into the surrounding areas which may not currently have a problem.

"This way, we're stopping any future issues before they even start."

The council said the PSPO consultation about alcohol related anti-social behaviour in Tavistock and Okehampton received 87 responses when it was held last summer.

It said: "PSPOs are the legal robust frameworks necessary to deal with antisocial behaviour, in this instance from alcohol.

"If someone then does display antisocial behaviour in a PSPO area and does not stop the offending behaviour when requested to by the police, they could receive a fine or in some cases, be taken to court."