The battle to reclaim Yorkshire high streets from lager louts

A raft of measures have been introduced to reclaim town and district high streets which have become plagued by the drink-related problems.

In one west Leeds suburb, Armley, families have admitted they feel too intimidated by drinkers loitering on streets to shop locally. Elsewhere, traders blame the widespread drinking for massive slumps in their takings.

Leeds already has five areas covered by a Cumulative Impact Policy (CIP), which can cap the number of premises selling alcohol.

The city also has 18 areas with DPPOs (Designated Public Place Orders) in force, which allows police to ban or confiscate alcohol and move drinkers and troublemakers on.

In York, a cumulative impact zone is in place in the city centre. The first ever Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was approved for The Groves area last year and there are 20 Alcohol Restriction Zones (ARZs) in place, including by a the war memorial and outside libraries and other community hubs.

Jane Mowat, the head of community safety at York Council, said: “There is a predicted seven per cent rise in alcohol-related crime in 2015/16 compared to 2014/15.

“However, monthly figures were substantially lower for August to September when an operation was running.

“This month, additional Community Safety Accreditation powers were granted to our Neighbourhood Enforcement Officers which gives them the power to tackle alcohol-related anti-social behaviour alongside the police’s Safer Neighbourhood Teams which should make an impact.”

In Wakefield, a restricted zone is in force for the town centre and Eastmoor playing fields.

In Bradford, a ban has been in force in the city centre since 2003.

Similar orders are in place in Bingley, Shipley and Keighley town centres and West Bowling.

Street drinking hotspots in Leeds, which include Headingley, Woodhouse, the city centre and Horsforth, have both DPPOs and CIPs in force.

Armley Town Street, which has long plagued by street drinkers, could soon join them and campaigners in east Leeds are also set to launch their own bid.

Labour councillor Alison Lowe, who represents Armley on Leeds City Council and has long campaigned on the issue, said: “Members of the public see the problems every day when going about their day-to-day business on Town Street.

“They can see groups of drinkers and that is making them frightened. We are now gathering more evidence to prevent more off licenses from opening.”

Councillor Asghar Khan, who chairs the Inner East Leeds Area Committee, is spearheading a similar push in east Leeds. “If we don’t concentrate on areas such as Harehills and Lincoln Green, they will become no-go areas for local residents,” he said.

Superintendent Sam Millar of West Yorkshire Police, who heads the city’s community safety partnership Safer Leeds, said: “We are committed to continuing to do everything we can do tackle street drinking and alcohol-related anti-social behaviour that has a detrimental impact on our communities.

“Designated Public Place Orders and Cumulative Impact Policy are important measures that support our partnership work in key areas of the Leeds district.

“We are making full use of the available legislation, including the use of injunctions.

“We have secured injunctions against a number of individuals involved in street drinking in Armley Town Street and have seen a reduction in complaints from residents and local businesses. We hope the work through the Licensing Committee towards a Cumulative Impact Policy for the area will bring further improvements.

“We are also working with agencies that provide outreach work to people with alcohol dependency, as we recognise that enforcement action alone cannot resolve the situation.

“Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team and Leeds Anti-Social Behaviour Team are working closely with residents, businesses, local councillors and the MP and will continue to treat the issue as a priority.”