What are we proposing about alcohol related anti-social behaviour (ASB) in public places
This Order gives the police and specific council officers additional powers to tackle on-street drinking where it is having a negative impact on the area.
The Order is not a ban on drinking alcohol in public, but it gives the council and police the power, in the specified locations, to ask people who are drinking in public to stop if there is an anti-social behaviour problem, or to handover their alcohol.
We currently have an Order in place covering public drinking in specific locations within sixteen areas of Central Bedfordshire including Ampthill, Arlesey, Barton-Le-Clay, Biggleswade, Cranfield, Dunstable, Eaton Bray, Flitwick, Heath and Reach, Houghton Regis, Leighton Linslade, Sandy and Beeston, Shefford, Stotfold and Toddington. This is predominantly in town centres and recreation grounds. Details of the streets included in each specific location are given in Appendix 1.
You can see maps of the exact locations for each area on our website – the streets included in each specific location are also listed in the consultation questionnaire.
We can only have a Public Space Protection Orders where there is evidence that it is needed. We have evidence that there are issues in some areas not included in the current Orders, so, we are suggesting including the following locations in the areas where we can restrict public drinking, if necessary:
- Clifton Park, Clifton
- Astral Park, Leighton Buzzard