Crackdown on drinking louts

New laws are set to be introduced in a Staffordshire village which would ban teenagers from boozing on the streets amid fears that they are developing a drinking culture.

Essington Parish Council wants to bring in an alcohol by-law giving police the power to shift anti-social gangs congregating on the streets drinking.

Members have unanimously voted to back the plan amid claims the problem was getting fast “out of hand”. Council chairman David Clifft said: “Drinking on our streets is becoming a major problem.

“The council feels it needs to act now before the problem gets completely out of hand and has taken the first steps to introducing the by-law.

“A drinking culture is developing in the village, with Friday and Saturday evenings being a particular problem.

“A large number of youths can be easily spotted drinking in the village.

“I, along with other councillors, have received a large volume of phone calls from residents complaining about the problem and the activities these people get up to after consuming alcohol.”

Councillor Clifft said shopkeepers were also being asked to consider not selling alcohol to people under the age of 21 in a further bid to tackle underage drinking.

Calls for the new by-law comes just weeks after it was revealed that yobs in the village would be hit with instant fines in a bid to tackle a spate of loutish behaviour.

Police will be targeting the area throughout the sum-mer with both uniformed and plain clothes patrols.

It comes after yobs slashed a horse at a field in Bognop Road, leading to her having to be put down, and animals were also feared to be at risk when arsonists twice targeted the village’s popular fruit farm.

Gangs of youths are also causing problems by congregating in the grounds of St John’s Primary School.