Council ban on public drinking could land you a whopping fine

If you want a cheeky swig of Strongbow before you join the Risa queue, you might want to think again.

Drinking on Broad Street, as well as in Selly Oak or Bourneville, could end up costing you the equivalent of a month’s rent.

The Council has revealed 80 per cent of Birmingham is an alcohol restricted zone, and anyone caught drinking in these areas could face a staggering £500 fine.

The infamous Broad Street was one of the first areas to be turned into an alcohol restricted zone in 2004 in an attempt to reduce anti-social behaviour.

Outdoor drinking ban clearly improving the area.. not

The whole of Selly Oak is also covered by the diktat, along with Aston, Perry Bar, Moseley, and the City Centre.

Harborne is surprisingly not listed as an alcohol free zone.

Many presume it is illegal to drink in the street, but it is only breaking the law if a ban has been enforced by the Council and there are signs in the street.

If caught students can expect a £500 fine

Many students have reacted negatively to the news, arguing the public drinking ban is unfairly penalising students who are not committing a serious crime.

A second year politics and philosophy student, Joe Hodges, said:  “The potential problem is that those enforcing the rules would not apply them fairly and fall foul of the same criticisms of stop and search rules.

“People could be targeted because they look dodgy or because they look like they might at some point in the future commit a crime, whereas other people would be far less likely to be stopped if they had a different image about them.

“But I think restricting alcohol from certain areas is reasonable if the council can show the direct link between people drinking on the streets and crime rates.”

Keep the drinking in doors to protect your finances

Third year medic, Ryan Laloo, said: “I think the administration of fines to those found drinking on the streets is a direct restriction on the freedom of people.

“ If this is an attempt to curb criminal attacks, then what about people drinking at bars and pubs and then being free to roam the streets in an intoxicated state?

“There is definitely a need for more police patrols around the city in order to provide a greater sense of safety for the citizens.

“Many of the people who drink on the streets are also harmless but regular police patrols can serve to restrict those few who seek to cause harm to others when under the influence.”