People are being asked to give their views on the impact of street drinking rules in Wisbech as part of a 12-month review.

A Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was introduced in October last year to tackle alcohol-fuelled incidents and antisocial behaviour in the town.

The order currently restricts all alcohol consumption in three ‘no drinking zones’ – Tillery Fields, St Peter’s Church Gardens and the Memorial Garden in The Crescent – and controls drinking across a wider town centre area.

Now, Fenland District Council, is running a community survey until October 21 to assess the impact and see whether its alcohol restrictions need to be reconsidered.

Councillor David Oliver, portfolio holder for community safety, said: “Since its inception, the PSPO has been regularly monitored to ensure the restrictions provide the appropriate enforcement options to tackle the problems being experienced.

“A year on, we’d like to find out what the community thinks to the PSPO and the impact it has had on street drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.

“We’d also like residents’ views on how we should continue to approach the issues going forward so we can consider any potential changes to the PSPO.”

The review process will combine performance data obtained from the council’s CCTV operations, incident reporting to police and fixed penalty notice (FPN) data.

The PSPO is part of a much wider alcohol action plan being delivered by the council through the Wisbech Alcohol Partnership, with support from the Wisbech 2020 Vision.

The action plan aims to tackle street drinking while providing support to dependent drinkers and local residents to alleviate the issues long-term and mitigate the impact of alcohol misuse on the community.

Other action plan initiatives include monthly recovery walks by the Inclusion Adult Substance Misuse Treatment Service, with help from other local support services, and drug and alcohol training events.

Two dedicated outreach workers have also been recruited with funding from the Government to engage with street drinkers and offer them ongoing support.

• To take part in the PSPO survey, visit www.fenland.gov.uk/PSPOsurvey. Paper copies of the survey are available at the One Stop Shop in Wisbech.

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