Call for alcohol ban over Tettenhall anti-social behaviour
A call has been made to impose a new drinking ban in the Tettenhall area of Wolverhampton to stop louts and anti-social behaviour in the area.
Councillor Wendy Thompson said Tettenhall had suffered a string of problems over the past year due to the consumption of alcohol in public places.
She said these ranged from dozens of youths rampaging through the high street, people holding barbecues and parties on Tettenhall Green and disturbances on car parks.
The Wolverhampton Tory group leader said a ban had previously been in place for the area but had expired and not been renewed.
Councillor Thompson raised the issue at a scrutiny board meeting on Tuesday, where the extension of the public space protection order (PSPO) for Park and St Peter’s wards – covering the city centre – was discussed.
Members were told the three-year PSPO had expired in April and had proved to be a success, with calls to tackle alcohol-related incidents falling from 1,202 in 2017/18 to 781 in 2019/20 – a 35 per cent decrease.
Council bosses are expected to rubber stamp the extension of the order later in the summer.
Councillor Thompson said: “We have had considerable problems around Tettenhall Pool, even though it is empty.
Danger
“The car park issue in trying to get it locked saw the police being heavily involved.
“Last year, we had 100 kids, teenagers, that were running around Tettenhall High Street drinking their heads off, with seven police cars turning up.
“There was also danger that the playing fields in Tettenhall Green could actually have been set alight in May when we had a lot of dry weather and they were taking those portable barbecues and having their parties.
“I know that there was a ban that covered that area. Obviously, I support St Peter’s and Park, with the ban there, but I don’t know why the ban that we had on Tettenhall Green fell away when we needed to renew it.
“The information I had was it could be renewed in September but I think it’s very important it is renewed as soon as possible.
“It’s the summer months, when you get hot weather, and the police have an absolutely terrible time. This would support them enormously.”
Chris Jellyman, neighbourhood safety co-ordinator, said: “We will review this PSPO and particular in relation to these areas and if we feel there is sufficient evidence to take it forward and vary the order, then we will definitely do that.”
