Video: People in Mansfield give their views on the new rules
People who spit or urinate in the street in Mansfield could now find themselves on the wrong end of £100 on-the-spot fines.
The town’s district council has brought in new powers for its street enforcement officers, which will also include penalties for smoking in children’s play areas.
Councillors said the changes were needed to “make Mansfield a more welcoming place”.
Penalties will be handed out after a three-month ‘grace period’, when warnings will be issued instead, to allow people time to get used to the rules.
Passed using a Public Spaces Protection Order, the new powers mean community officers can;
- Disperse groups causing harassment or a nuisance
- Prohibit urinating, defecating and spitting in any public place in the district
- Require anyone walking a dog to be carrying bags to pick up mess
- Prohibit cycling in the pedestrianised area of the town centre
- Prohibit the use, sale or supply of psychoactive substances and new, now illegal, drugs formerly known as legal highs
Cllr Mick Barton, in charge of public protection, said: “We want people to feel safe and secure in Mansfield and we believe the vast majority of people will be supportive of these measures and will abide by them.
“The issue of people riding their bicycles in a manner which causes alarm or distress in the pedestrianised areas in Mansfield has been a long-standing problem, with complaints raised by members of the public and market traders.
“So-called legal highs were recently made illegal and these new powers will reinforce this. We have evidence from the police that the use of these new substances was implicated in numerous incidents of anti-social behaviour last year.
“The new powers will enable us to tackle these issues and make Mansfield a more welcoming place.”
The council has also brought in alcohol-free zones for the whole of Mansfield town centre, large parts of the Ravensdale , Ladybrookand Oak Tree Lane estates and areas of Warsop and Meden Vale.
