Wolverhampton city centre ban on drinking, begging and e-scooters to be considered

A ban on street drinking, begging and riding e-scooters and e-bikers dangerously is being proposed to tackle Wolverhampton city centre’s ‘unwelcoming’ reputation.

City of Wolverhampton Council is planning to enact a three-year public space protection order (PSPO) to prohibit swathes of anti-social acts that have left many afraid to visit the city centre.

The order would give police powers to ban anyone from the city centre for 24 hours if they are causing or believed to likely cause nuisance, disorder, harassment, alarm or distress.

The council said residents and businesses had repeatedly reported concerns over anti-social behaviour in the city centre including people injecting drugs, street drinking, loitering, aggressive begging and dangerous e-scotter and e-bike riding.

The cabinet report said the PSPO would ban street drinking, prohibit the possession and consumption of drugs, loitering, aggressive begging, urinating and defecating in public as well as ban people from restricting or blocking doorways with fire exits, restrict playing music through loudspeakers and ban illegally riding, cycling or using an e-bike or e-scooter.

If approved, the PSPO would cover the entire area within the city centre ring road as well as Molineux Stadium and the neighbouring Asda supermarket, the city’s railway station, the YMCA social housing in Cleveland Street, St John’s Retail Park and Sainsbury’s St Marks in Raglan Street.

Crime figures for the end of 2025 said the number of incidents reported in the city centre had increased by more than 10 per cent when compared to the previous year.

Nearly three quarters of the businesses surveyed by the council said they witnessed anti-social behaviour on a daily basis and the regularity of the crime was hitting sales.

Figures included in the cabinet report also showed that reports of anti-social behaviour classed as ‘nuisance’ had increased by 75 per cent since 2023.

The council recently approved a three-year PSPO for Bentley Bridge Retail Park which gives police the same powers to disperse groups of three or more if they are causing or likely to cause a nuisance.

The order would tackle “persistent anti-social behaviour, violence, and shoplifting within the retail park, which has seen a significant rise in youth-related incidents and disorder,” the council said.

City of Wolverhampton Council’s cabinet meets on April 22 to decide on the city centre PSPO.