Home Office extends drinking banning orders to 25 more local justice areas

The power to impose drinking banning orders on conviction on individuals aged 16 or above has been rolled out to a further 25 local justice areas from today (1 November), the Home Office has announced.

Home Office Minister James Brokenshire said the extension could, if successful, lead to a national rollout of DBOs. The extension follows the piloting of DBOs in 25 other local justice areas since April this year.

Under the powers, magistrates can impose any condition they think is necessary to protect the public from that individual committing further offences. This might include banning them from consuming alcohol in public places, including certain pubs, bars and off licences and restricting them from entering certain areas.

DBOs can last from between two months and two years and anyone who breaches an order is liable for a fine of up to £2,500. The length of the order can be reduced if offenders successfully complete a positive behaviour intervention course.

The order brings into force the provisions of Chapter 1 in Part 1 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006.

The local justice areas covered are:

  • Birmingham
  • Bristol
  • Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale
  • City of Westminster
  • Denbighshire
  • East Berkshire
  • Fenland
  • Grimsby and Cleethorpes
  • Gwent
  • Hammersmith and Fulham and Kensington and Chelsea
  • Hartlepool
  • Lambeth and Southwark
  • Manchester City
  • Mansfield
  • Merthyr Tydfil
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne District
  • North East Derbyshire and Dales
  • North East Suffolk
  • North Kent
  • North Tyneside District
  • Northampton
  • Plymouth District
  • Sedgemoor
  • West Cornwall
  • West Hertfordshire

Brokenshire said the government remained concerned about the number of alcohol related incidents and the drink-fuelled violence and disorder that blight many towns and cities.

The minister added: "The extension of drinking banning orders on conviction to a further 25 local justice areas will help local communities manage problem individuals and will also help those individuals to address the reasons for their behaviour.

"As well as this the government has committed to rebalancing the Licensing Act in favour of local communities, taking tough action to tackle problem premises, banning the sale of below cost alcohol and will allow local councils to charge more for late-night licences."

Brokenshire said the government's final proposals for overhauling licensing laws would be published shortly.

A Bromsgrove woman, Laura Hall, became the first person in the country to be issued with a drinking banning order banning her from licenced premises across England and Wales.

However, she appeared back in court in May, a month after the original order.