Controlled drinking zones (cdzs)

Newham Council has introduced a Designated Public Place Order (DPPO) that covers the whole of the London Borough of Newham. This came into effect on Monday 17 January 2011.

The order makes it an offence for people to drink alcohol in the borough of Newham after they have been asked not to do so by the Police. It is not a total ban on drinking alcohol in public, but is there to tackle irresponsible street drinkers. Download the public notice (pdf).

Update

The consultation on the borough-wide drinking zone has now ended. Thank you to everyone who responded to our questionnaire and additional comments. We had over 300 replies from local residents and businesses. There was overwhelming support from those who responded.

What you said...

• 84% of you supported a borough-wide drinking zone
• Your keys reasons for supporting a borough-wide zone included:
• • to reduce the number of street drinkers and drunken behaviour across the borough
  • to improve safety for local residents and businesses who felt intimated by street drinkers;
  • to help clear the streets of Newham of alcohol-related litter, such as cans and bottles.
    

Why has a borough-wide DPPO area been introduced in Newham?

In June 2009, Newham piloted the DPPO in Stratford town centre and Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate. This resulted in a significant reduction in the number of street drinkers within the zone.

What public spaces will the order affect?

The order affects all open air spaces such as parks, roads, highways, alleyways and footpaths. It will not affect people drinking in their own gardens, private property or licensed premises such as cafes or restaurants that have tables outside. It will not apply to London Underground and Docklands Light Railway Stations where there are byelaws in place prohibiting drinking.

How does the order affect the public, including those living within the order area?

The order will give the police and other authorised persons more powers to deal with people creating disorder or behaving antisocially (whilst drinking or under the influence of alcohol). It will not affect those who drink and behave responsibly.

Who can enforce the order?

The police and police community support officers (PCSO) can enforce the order. The police can accredit other persons to enforce this order. If this happens they will have a badge and an ID card showing that they are accredited under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS). This can include, but is not limited to, council employees.

What action can a police officer or PCSO take?

• If a person stops drinking and /or gives up their alcohol when asked and does not continue to behave in antisocial way, then no action will be taken against them.
• If a person refuses to stop drinking alcohol when asked to, their alcohol could be taken away and disposed of.
• If a person does hand over their alcohol when asked to do so but continues to behave in an antisocial way they could be given a £50 on the spot fine or arrested and convicted of a public order offence.
• If a person does not hand over their alcohol and continues to behave in an antisocial way they could be arrested and have to pay a fine of up to £500.

What happened to the DPPO which was already in effect in Forest Gate and Stratford?

The new borough-wide zone now includes the area which was previously covered by the zone in Stratford Town Centre and the Woodgrange Road area of Forest Gate. This order has now been revoked.