Newark public drinking order extended for another three years to curb street-drinking

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for Newark has been extended for another three years by the district council in an effort to control alcohol consumption in public.

Over the three years of the previous order 29 cases of public drinking in Newark were reported to the council and police recorded 164 street drinking related incidents.

Preventative measures are being looked at alongside the PSPO in order to dissuade public drinking in key hotspots around Newark, such as the castle grounds and Church Gardens.

These include increasing the amount of lighting and the number of cameras in these areas.

Under a PSPO, those suspected of consuming alcohol in a public space must at the request of a police officer, or those in authorised authority, either hand over their booze, dispose of it or leave the area.

Failure to comply with a PSPO will result in the handing out of a £75 fixed penalty notice and failure to pay could land the suspect with a hefty fine of up to £1,000 and a day in court.

A PSPO lasts a total of three years before it must be reviewed to ensure it is necessary and proportionate to the levels of anti social behaviour affecting the areas to which it may apply. Following this a further extension of three years can be applied.

PSPOs are designed to give autonomy to councils and districts to police certain aspects of anti social behaviour, however, must be based on evidence and cannot be used as a preventative measure.

The current PSPO, which was last passed in June 2019, has been extended for the final time that is legally allowed. In another three years time the council will have to reapply for one but this can be done ahead of time to avoid any disruption to the policing measures.