Taking Action

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) is an order issued by a local authority which is designed to tackle activities carried on in a public place which have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in its locality and which prohibits specified things being done in a restricted area or requires specified things to be done by persons carrying on specified activities in that area or does both of those things.

Harborough District council uses PSPO’s to tackle is Drinking in a public place, Misuse of psychoactive substances and control of dogs.

Drinking in the streets 

Two areas in the district have Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO), which means the police have the power tell a person to stop and surrender their alcohol for disposal if they have been, are, or intend to drink alcohol in public places when it is associated with anti-social behaviour. These areas are Market Harborough and Lutterworth town centres. Failure to comply with the request could lead to arrest and a fine of up to £500.

A Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) can be used to reduce alcohol related violent crime and is not a blanket ban on drinking outdoors.

Psychoactive substance 

Person(s) within the Restricted Area (the whole of Harborough district) will not:

Ingest, inhale, inject, smoke, possess or otherwise use psychoactive substances (e.g. nitrous oxide) and which is causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm, distress, nuisance or annoyance to members of the public.

A “Psychoactive substance” means any substance which can produce a psychoactive effect in a person who consumes it and is not an exempted substance. For the purposes of this prohibition a substance produces a psychoactive effect in a person if, by stimulating or depressing the person’s central nervous system, it affects the person’s mental functioning or emotional state.

Breaches of PSPO’s are considered an offence and can result in a Fine upto £1,000.

In addition, Fixed penalty notices of £150, or fines of up to £2500 if it goes to court, can already be issued for littering offences.