Newport City Council is considering banning drinking in public in one area of the city due to high levels of antisocial behaviour. A public spaces protection order (PSPO) is being considered for the Maesglas area where the council says antisocial behaviour "continues to be a problem" despite a clampdown during the pandemic.
A similar order was made for the area back in 2018 which restricted access to a public path behind Maesglas shops on Cardiff Road, gave police powers to stop people drinking or hand over containers suspected to contain alcohol or selling intoxicating substances. The order was in effect for three years and expired in 2021.
But the council has now launched a public consultation to consider reinstating a PSPO, which gives the authorities powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in areas where it is "persistent" or "unreasonable." Anyone who breaches such an order can face fines of up to £1,000.
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If passed the order would mean police, community support officers, and council officers could also restrict access to some public places in the area. It would also be an offence for people to "behave in a manner that has caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to a member of the public and then refuse to disperse from the area when asked to."
People could also be fined if they "sell, use or possess intoxicating substances" and anyone caught with them must surrender them if ordered to. Anyone who uses a gated-off path behind Maesglas shops without authorisation could also be in breach of the order.
Council documents show an informal consultation has already been held between councillors, Gwent Police and Newport City Homes, which "indicated that the previous (order) was successful and that a renewal of is necessary to prevent anti-social behaviour significantly impacting on the local community again."
While the council report said statistics on recent anti-social behaviour were "skewed by the Covid-19 restrictions including full public lockdowns" it said "anecdotal feedback from partners [suggests] anti-social behaviour continues to be a problem in the area."
If the council decides to pursue a new order for the Maesglas shops area, a public consultation will be held over four weeks during which people will be asked about on whether to keep or remove any of the previous restrictions, add any new ones and whether the previous area covered by the PSPO should be retained or changed. A decision on whether to launch a consultation will be decided by the cabinet on Friday, December 16.
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