Council 'booze zones' will be set up in spring

We are keen to get the system in place and off the ground as soon as possible

By CHARLOTTE BRADSHAW

BURNLEY is to set up a task force to curb street drinking and to develop links with other North West authorities.

The move comes after members of Burnley Council voted to join forces with the police to control drinking in designated places of the town.

The booze crackdown will start from April 16 and will come just months after a teenage Nottingham Forest fan died outside Yates's Wine Lodge in St James Street.

Nathan Shaw, 17, was allegedly hit by a bottle and landlords and police have called for a street drinking ban in the wake of his death. The ban will turn the town centre into an alcohol-free zone and make it an offence to be in the street with an open alcohol container, such as a bottle or glass.

The ban was agreed following a series of public consultations with residents and Burnley's award winning BAND scheme.

It will be introduced in Church Street, Centenary Way, Manchester Road, Active Way, Top o'th' Town and Yorkshire Street. Councillors voted for the move after reading a report which showed that between April 2002 and December 2002, 195 incidents of drunken people were dealt with by the town's police.

Out of those incidents there were 54 arrests for various offences.

To help tackle the issue, council leader Stuart Caddy proposed an amendment which brings together different agencies.

Coun Caddy suggested that town centre licensees, representatives of BAND, Burnley Town Centre Management and councillors should form a group to look at other authorities.

Speaking at a meeting of the full council, he said: "We should be looking at other authorities in the North West such as Liverpool, Manchester and Blackpool, because a lot of hard work has gone into these places."

He said it was vital for Burnley to look at what other areas were doing to curb the problem.

Coun Charles Bullas who holds the portfolio for public protection and community safety, added: "We are keen to get the system in place and off the ground as soon as possible.

"It think the group is a good idea which will look at what other authorities are doing."