A neighbour has criticised the council’s “inaction”Fishponds Park was among the area covered by the Fishponds PSPO(Image: Google)

A resident says antisocial behaviour in her neighbourhood has escalated after a ‘no drinking zone’ brought in by the council disappeared.

Rachel Condon lives near Guinea Lane in Fishponds, which used to be covered by a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) banning people from consuming alcohol in a specified zone. She has been told by police that Bristol City Council “abolished” this PSPO in February, among others across Bristol.

Rachel feels there has been a rise in street drinking and drug dealing because of this, and police are also asking the council to reinstate it. She told Bristol Live: “We have a huge problem with street drinking and drug dealing along this road and neighbouring roads.

“I have been reporting the issue to our local neighbourhood police, and have now been told that the Public Space Protection Order was abolished by the council in February 2024 and that the council have not responded to the police to re-introduce this.

“I feel this is unforgivable and is so detrimental to our community. The council have spent so much money and effort enforcing the controversial ‘liveable city scheme’ in neighbouring St George and have chosen not to prioritise the safety of people in Fishponds.

“The police are not able to do their jobs and keep our community safe because of Bristol City Council inaction for whatever reason.”

Rachel went on to say that she is looking for answers around the council’s apparent decision to not re-introduce Public Space Protection Orders in Fishponds, as well as elsewhere in the city. BristolLive has contacted Bristol City Council for comment on clarity around the PSPO scheme.

An email seen by Bristol Live, dated Wednesday, May 14, saw the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Avon and Somerset Police, Clare Moody, respond to Rachel’s concerns.

The PCC said no one should be made to feel “intimated and not safe” in their neighbourhood, and that she had been in touch with the local neighbourhood policing team to escalate Rachel’s concerns.

Sergeant Keenan from the team provided a response and was quoted in the email as saying: “Unfortunately, the Public Space Protection Order (no drinking zone) was abolished during February 2024 and as such, street drinking is no longer covered by this legislation. This did not only impact Fishponds but Bristol as a whole.”

In 2022, the city council carried out consultation on 11 existing PSPOs, which had been in place since 2020 in various areas of the city. Following feedback, the PSPOs were extended for a further three years to “aid in the control of anti-social behaviour related to street drinking”.

Though the council is yet to confirm, it seems at least some of those PSPOs have since expired. The orders allow police extra power to tackle a specific behaviour – in this case, no person in the restricted area was allowed to possess “any opened or unsealed bottle or container of alcohol”.

In the email to Rachel, Sergeant Keenan explained: “In efforts to reduce ASB, we have been running a problem-solving approach and have been working closely with the local council to re-introduce the Public Space Protection Order. The Constabulary have also submitted an application with evidence in order to achieve this, however, this is currently still awaiting approval.

“In the meantime, we have been utilising ASB legislation to deal robustly with the street drinkers causing ASB and have issued several Community Protection Warning letters, Community Protection Notices and are working towards Criminal Behaviour Orders on repeat individuals.”

The PCC went on to say: “Priority 1 in my Police and Crime Plan is to strengthen neighbourhood policing to provide a visible police presence, engage with communities and tackle ASB.

“Neighbourhood policing is essential to provide a visible police presence and to problem solve and work with individuals and organisations to help prevent ASB.

“The neighbourhood officers are crucial to delivering proactive policing operations to help tackle ASB. I hope that my aspirations for Avon and Somerset Police to strengthen this critical provision will be reassuring to you.

“Avon and Somerset Constabulary have also welcomed a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee from the Government.”

Among feedback published on the Fishponds PSPO in 2022, another neighbour told the council: “I take my children in to this area and I am scared for them and myself when we encounter very drunk people. We feel safe when we see police on bikes and in shops policing the area.”

However, others argued the PSPO was only effective as long as it was being enforced. One resident told the council in a written response: “To be effective it requires enforcement, drinking in Fishponds Park is an all day everyday occurrence and I have never seen this tackled. Therefore it appears a waste of taxpayers money and represents no value for money to apply it once more.”

In December 2023, when the PSPO was still active, BristolLive reported on the concerns of another family who lived on Guinea Lane, who said they were desperately trying to move away from the road due to issues relating to drugs in the area.