Sunderland Council bans 'car cruising' and introduces new anti-social behaviour fines
It is hoped that new powers given to the council will help tackle anti-social use of cars, motorised bikes and scooters, and the use of vapes in play areas in Sunderland.
Sunderland City Council’s cabinet of senior councillors agreed to renew and expand powers under the city’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) at a meeting this week.
First introduced in the city centre in 2017, and extended citywide in 2019, the PSPO gives the council enforcement powers around alcohol control, dog control and prohibiting certain behaviour in public spaces.
The PSPO helps to limit and restrict activities which cause nuisance, or lead to problems for a community, according to a council report.
It also gives the council powers to issue fixed penalty notices - such as £100 fine to anyone who doesn't comply with the PSPO measures, which is reduced to £75 if paid within 10 days.
Those failing to pay could also see court action resulting in a fine of up to £1,000 at the Magistrates Court.
New measures proposed as part of the PSPO renewal would allow the council to ban activities linked with ‘car cruising’, which the city council states can put people and properties at risk.
Problem activities can range from speeding, racing and performing stunts, to sounding horns, playing loud music, using foul or abusive language and/or threatening or intimidating behaviour, and causing obstructions.
Other new enforcement powers and changes approved by the council's cabinet this week include measures to:
Ban smoking and vaping in designated play areas.
Extend the £100 fixed penalty notice for anyone taking a shopping trolley from a designated retail area and dumping it in a residential area (extended from parts of Washington to citywide).
Require dog walkers to reduce the length of a lead, to make sure the dog is under control and at heel when requested by an authorised officer.
Ban the use of motorised bikes or scooters in a manner that would cause damage to property or cause annoyance to other people in the area.
Require people to provide their personal details, including their name, address and date of birth to an authorised officer upon request.
Extend dog fouling powers to include land that is open to the air; and publicly-accessible, rather than just council land.
Councillor Claire Rowntree said the proposals will "improve our city and make it a better and safer space for everybody to be able to enjoy."
Councillor Paul Edgeworth also called for assurances that the approach around "aggressive begging" would not effectively “criminalise homeless people."
The new PSPO proposals will be effective over the next three years.
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