East Lindsey District Council decides against imposing ban on street drinking

A council has decided against introducing a ban on street drinking, following nearly 5,500 alcohol-related crimes recorded across the district from 2021 to 2023.

Ahead of a meeting of East Lindsey District Council's Executive Board on Tuesday (November 6), where a decision will be made on extending the seasonal dog ban on beaches in Skegness, Mablethorpe, and Sutton-on-Sea, as well as on restrictions for street trading in Skegness town centre, the council also considered whether street drinking should be added to the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

A report from Lincolnshire Police shows that alcohol-related incidents are comparatively higher in the coastal area than in the inland Wolds policing area.

A total of 5,407 alcohol-linked crimes were recorded across East Lindsey between 2021 and 2023, with 3,918 of these (around 72%) occurring in the coastal regions of Skegness, Ingoldmells, Chapel St Leonards, Alford, and Mablethorpe.

The remaining 1,489 incidents were reported in Louth, Horncastle, Wragby, Spilsby, Woodhall Spa, Coningsby, and Tattershall.

Street-based alcohol-related antisocial behavior incidents were as prevalent during the day as at night in Skegness.

However, in Ingoldmells and Chapel St Leonards, such incidents increased during the night-time economy, particularly between 9pm and 4am.

Heat maps indicated that these incidents took place in areas with a high concentration of premises licensed for the sale of alcohol.

The council stated that this data shows the focus for addressing alcohol-related crime should be directed toward licensed premises, such as pubs and bars, rather than implementing restrictions on street drinking.

Coun Martin Foster (Conservative), portfolio holder for operational services, explained: “As part of the work to seek approval of a new Public Spaces Protection Order for the next three years, which includes dog control and proposed restrictions on street trading in Skegness, Lincolnshire Police provided a study which showed areas of crimes relating to alcohol between 2021 and 2023.

“The council was asked to look if the issue of street drinking, such as in parks and on street benches, was extensive enough to be included as a new condition.

"Reports and statistics showed that drinking alcohol within public spaces was not a prevalent enough issue that would warrant including as a new condition in the order.

“Heat maps showed alcohol-related crimes were all taking place in and around areas where there were a high number of licensed premises selling alcohol. This data demonstrated that at this particular time, alcohol-related crime needs to be targeted towards licensed premises and so a street drinking condition has not been included in the PSPO recommendations.

“The council continues to work with our partners on this issue. The reduction of alcohol related crime requires a multifaceted, multi-service approach, including Licensing, Police and Community Safety colleagues to continue to tackle how well premises such as pubs, bars, supermarkets and off-licences are meeting the licensing objectives under the Licensing Act 2003 and to ensure that they are acting responsibly.”

Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones (Con) agreed that addressing this issue requires collaboration among multiple parties.

He stated: “Since taking office I have implemented a number of projects designed to tackle the problem of alcohol abuse – including launching one of the very first pilots of sobriety tags.

“I continue to fund the Street Pastors, who carry our invaluable work keeping people safe,and have brought in millions of pounds in additional funding for scores of new CCTV cameras across East Lindsey.

“I recognise The night time economy and tourism are critically important for the economy of Lincolnshire but we must recognise that there is a price to pay for all emergency and health services in the county.

“Alcohol-related issues cannot be solved simply by enforcement. The consumption of alcohol and its impact on families and communities is a wider societal problem that can only be solved when partners work together.”