Skip to content

Kidderminster Town Centre Public Space Protection Order - Alcohol consumption

The Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has been in place since August 2015 and was renewed for a further three years from 1 October 2023.

Officers can order people drinking in these areas to stop, hand over any alcohol or dispose of the alcohol, with people who fail to do so face on-the-spot fines of up top to £100.00, or up to £1,000.00 if the case goes to court.

This PSPO is intended to tackle street drinking and related nuisance behaviour in Kidderminster Town Centre by providing police, police community support officers and council officers (where designated) with certain powers.

A PSPO is not an outright ban on street drinking. Consuming alcohol in a public place is not an offence, unless you fail to comply with an officer’s request. The PSPO covering Kidderminster Town Centre does not make it illegal to carry or drink alcohol, so long as drinking is done responsibly. The PSPO will only be used to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour or disorder.

Map

black and white map of kidderminster showing restrictions in red outline

Boundary map showing restricted area for alcohol consumption in Kidderminster Town Centre

Street drinking is sometimes associated with anti-social behaviour, causing high levels of noise, rowdy and nuisance behaviour, harassment and intimidation of passers-by, as well as the littering of cans and bottles.

These are areas that can be designated by Wyre Forest District Council where anti-social behaviour has been causing a nuisance or annoyance.

In these areas, police, police community support officers and council officers (where designated) have certain powers to help tackle such behaviour.

Officers can request people to stop drinking alcohol in the designated public places and ask to surrender their drink. If people refuse they can be issued a fixed penalty notice of up to £100 and a maximum of £1000 upon prosecution.

A PSPO is not an outright ban on street drinking. It is not an offence to consume alcohol in a public place; the offence is failing to comply with an officer’s request.

A PSPO does not make it illegal to carry alcohol or to drink alcohol in a public place. So long as drinking is done responsibly a PSPO will only be used to tackle alcohol related anti-social behaviour or disorder. Under these circumstances police and council officers (where designated) will have the power to stop people drinking alcohol and seize or confiscate alcohol within the controlled area. If you fail to comply with an officer’s request to stop drinking and/or dispose of alcohol, you could face a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

The Police can make an arrest for street drinking related anti-social behaviour. However, it is only an offence to refuse with an officer’s request to stop drinking alcohol or to surrender alcohol when asked, where a PSPO is in operation. Where there is no PSPO in operation, it is not an offence alone to refuse to surrender alcohol, although any related anti-social behaviour can give cause for arrest.

Yes, signage will be around the PSPO boundaries in Kidderminster.

Yes.

The PSPO does not make it illegal to drink alcohol in a public place. However, if a person was to drink beyond the legal boundary of a licensed premise and they do not stop drinking if asked to do so by a police officer or another designated officer, then they could be at risk of regulation.

No.

Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams will continue to patrol and respond to incidents as part of their community response.

The PSPO will be in force all hours of the day, every day. The PSPO will last for three years and be extended following a review.

The main benefits of a PSPO are to help tackle anti social behaviour associated with street drinking.

Although a PSPO would restrict alcohol consumption in a public area the Act states that licensed premises are not affected.

Events within a public place authorised by a premises license or a Temporary Event Notice will be excluded from the Police PSPO powers.

If you or someone you know has an alcohol related problem, there is help available. You can contact:

Worcestershire Pathways to Recovery
109-111 Coventry Street, Kidderminster, DY10 2BH
Telephone: 01562 823211

Opening times:
Monday 9:30am to 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am to 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am to 7:00pm (appointments only)
Thursday 9:30am to 1:00pm
Friday 9:30am to 4:30pm

Website feedback
Was this page useful? Required
Yes, I give permission to store and process my data
We will only contact you regarding this feedback.
Back to top