
Visitors to West Bridgford town centre, parks and open spaces should always bin their rubbish and be mindful to eat and drink responsibly in line with local rules.
That’s the message from Rushcliffe Borough Council and Nottinghamshire Police who are reminding all a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is in operation for everyone’s benefit.
It means park users and town centre visitors must give up alcohol when asked to do so by an official and failure to comply can lead to a fixed penalty notice or prosecution at court and a fine of up to £1,000.
Outlets in the town that are currently licensed to serve food and drink as takeaways are joining the calls with prominent signage at their premises reminding customers to follow the guidelines.
Rushcliffe Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Craig Berry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We carry out regular patrols of our public open spaces – in particular West Bridgford Town Centre, Bridgford Road, Central Avenue and Bridgford Park – in response to recent issues with street drinking and people gathering in parks drinking alcohol.
“West Bridgford Town Centre and surrounding parks are covered by the PSPO which is designed to prevent the consumption of alcohol in designated public open spaces to deter anti-social behaviour.
“We are supporting our partners and local stakeholders by engaging with people, explaining and encouraging people to adhere with the PSPO order.
“In most cases this approach is effective but there is a power to confiscate alcohol and to issue fixed penalty notices where people don’t heed the advice or cause persistent problems.”
The Council’s Environmental Health and Licensing teams and Police are continuing unannounced high-profile visits to all licensed premises in the town to further check arrangements in line with their current licences.
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder Community for Environment and Safety Cllr Rob Inglis said: “We know the vast majority of our residents and park users always enjoy the town centre and our parks and open spaces responsibly but the message is clear that PSPO rules must be followed.
“We’re ensuring increased patrols at Bridgford Park are maintained and we’ve taken the additional step of ensuring security officials are on duty at peak times for extra reassurance.
“High volumes of litter were left across Bridgford Park and Bridge Field in West Bridgford on occasions last month mirroring an unfortunate picture at many similar venues locally and nationally and this was totally unacceptable.
“We now have extra temporary yellow event bins in place and Streetwise teams will continue their regular clearance of bins across the park and town centre.
“Bin your rubbish responsibly or take it home and follow social distancing guidelines.
“Toilets at the park adjacent to Al Fresco continue to be open and further temporary toilets are now available in Bridge Field with extra cleaning schedules in place.”Park users and town centre visitors are advised to approach officials or call 101 should they need to raise any issues.