Village booze ban to be approved in days
A long-awaited ban on boozing in public places in a South Staffordshire village is set to get the go-ahead from councillors next week.
A long-awaited ban on boozing in public places in a South Staffordshire village is set to get the go-ahead from councillors next week.
South Staffordshire Council officers are recommending the plan for designated areas of Cheslyn Hay, plus a small part of neighbouring Great Wyrley, be passed by members of the regulatory committee. The ban will be brought into force in trouble hotspot areas, including parks and the cemetery, to help crack down on anti-social behaviour and underage drinking.
It will give police officers powers to confiscate alcohol and issue fines on the spot.
Failure to comply with the ban could mean a fixed-penalty notice of £50, arrest and prosecution, carrying a maximum fine of £200.
The application, submitted by the parish council, was supported by evidence from police.
Officers recorded 24 alcohol-related incidents and 130 booze-fuelled anti-social behaviour incidents between January and November 2007.
Residents and local businesses also had their say during a public consultation exercise.
A decision to include an alleyway which passes under a rail line and links Lingfield Drive in Great Wyrley with Cheslyn Hay, cutting across the boundary between the two villages, caused delays in the public consultation process, which pushed the final approval of the scheme back to next Tuesday's committee meeting.
Parish council chairman Bob Denson said: "We are looking forward to being able to implement the ban because it gives the police powers to stop underage drinking and nuisance drinking by people of all ages in the open spaces in Cheslyn Hay.
"We have had problems in the past with big parties at the park in the summer.
"We have got a youth worker from Staffordshire County Council and a police community youth support officer working with the youths in the area to help get rid of this problem," he added.
A ban was introduced in Penkridge in January, which covers troublespot areas throughout the village including Boscomoor Shopping Centre, the Co-op Food Store and St Michael's churchyard.
