Council cracking down on street drinking in Harlow
Crime / Wed 6th Oct 2021 at 10:16am
HARLOW Council has agreed a plan to deal with the issue of street drinking in Harlow.
The issue of street drinking is one that has negatively affected the perception of the town centre and other areas within Harlow. It is a complex problem, which is often linked to social exclusion in respect of those who are drinking in the street, but also has an impact on the sense of security and wellbeing of those who use the town centre for work and leisure.
Actions, which were agreed at the last Licensing Committee meeting, are being put in place to complement existing legislation and aim to encourage licensees who sell alcohol to agree to a range of voluntary measures. These include ceasing the sale of low-cost, high-alcohol drinks in areas where problems with street drinking have been identified, ceasing single-can sales and marking up containers to show where they were bought.
The council’s Licensing and Community Safety teams are working with Essex Police to identify premises connected with street drinking issues, to carry out checks on compliance with laws around the sale of alcohol to those who are drunk and minimum pricing requirements, and encourage them to agree to the proposals.
The plans will also complement the council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which is still in place and covers drinking outside in the town centre area.
As a last resort premises which continue to contribute to problems with street drinking could face extra licensing conditions being put in place.
Councillor Nick Churchill, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “I want to be able to offer help to those who are trapped in this cycle of street drinking and addiction. Before that can properly happen we, as a council, need to reverse the trend of non-compliance to licensing conditions already in place by some premises.
“I have asked that in the first instance we offer advice and support to get premises voluntarily agreeing to comply.
But if premises refuse or fail not just themselves but our community and those directly affected by addiction I will not hesitate to have licensing officers refer them to a Licensing Sub-Committee to review their licence, and the conditions of that licence.”
Susan Baker
2021-10-06 18:27:57
The market square used to be a community focal point with a wonderful market. Now it is a total blot on the town. It is an embarrassment. Who would to walk around there with all this drunken dregs and yobos? It needs to be cleaned up and have a market again so decent people can enjoy it. We also need more police in the town centre to crack down on anti-social behaviour. It is a disgrace and a shame on the town.
CB
2021-10-07 07:40:16
I agree action needs to be taken, but good luck if you think the police will help ! There are too many occasions now where they won’t attend what was previously considered a crime. They’ve basically turned into glorified traffic wardens.
Susan Baker
2021-10-07 09:09:21
CB you are right. The police are nowhere to be seen. Don’t know what they do. The market square is a disgrace. The Clock pub is a dump. We need decent, civilised places in the town that people would like to visit and spend time. Places like Bishop Stortford, Hertford and Epping are much nicer. Harlow Town Centre has nothing similar. Who wants to be amongst the awful types that go to the Clock and hang around the market square. They look like tramps and drug addicts. Repulsive creatures.
Iain
2021-10-07 09:45:23
It's the same old job shy alky scroungers who haven't worked for years or never worked at all that you see walking around all areas of the town at all times of the day with cans of K cider in their hands. Or Slavs sitting in the woods drinking. It's about time we stopped paying these vermin cash benefits and gave them the equivalent of ration books so they get the bare essentials to live on, and not cash to spend on phones, tattoos, fags and booze that working people work hard for.
novoman
2021-10-07 13:09:59
The Market Square needs to be basically that a Market Square that's at the centre of a community. Getting people back there into a thriving market environment would solve many of the problems. Would be impossible to invite traders to set up stalls again at a minimum cost to cover rubbish collection? Perhaps some of the established shops might jump at the chance, add street entertainment and outdoor café experience and a renaissance could could happen: other towns and cities have shown this kind of application of creativity and imagination works, why can't Harlow?
Maureen
2021-10-07 15:14:41
No Oman is right. We need an upgraded Town Centre and to get rid of all the creeps infesting the place making it unpleasant and unsafe for decent people.
K
2021-10-07 19:56:08
Did a litter pick yesterday and omg them poor horses hundreds of cans in the bushes it’s disgusting and the alcoholics that sit on the bench sniffing coke in the town how the hell do they afford that
cansinthefield
2021-10-07 21:32:38
why would anyone go to a pub and pay £5+ for a beer and get kicked out for having a line, surrounded by boring people talking about their boring lives? I'd choose a field and a couple cans all day long!
Helen Malkin
2021-10-07 22:10:33
Get rid of these people that degrade our town. We need attractive venues, a bustling market and great places to spend leisure time. No one wants to be in a place surrounded by crude drunken louts. The town needs to step up and become more attractive and competitive than neighbouring towns.
David
2021-10-08 07:40:52
Are the Council and Police listening to these comments, maybe,just maybe they will get the message.
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