Make Colchester town centre streets a 24-hour alcohol-free zone.

That is the radical solution put forward by some people living and working in the heart of the town who want the streets cleaned of drunken louts, alcohol-related crime and cans and bottles littering the area.

They want Colchester Council to bring in a bylaw which bans adults drinking in public on the streets. Police already have the power to arrest under-age drinkers.

The Rev Kevan Tailby, of St Botolph's Church, in St Botolph's Street, made the call at a meeting of the Town Centre Forum, a mouthpiece for anyone with an interest in Colchester town centre.

He is concerned about people drinking in St Botolph's Priory and leaving empty bottles around and wants to see the law introduced and Alcohol Free Zone signs put up.

But his worries were backed by residents' representatives from the Dutch Quarter, fed up with people drinking beer from cans outside Colchester Magistrates' Court, and the Riverside estate, which is next to Castle Park, where drinkers often congregate.

The Rev Tailby said: "I would ask for alcohol free zones in the light of increases in drinking on the streets and I would want a 24-hour ban in the town centre to reduce the number of bottles left on the streets."

A spokesman for Dutch Quarter Residents said: "We are not saying people sitting in Castle Park enjoying a bottle of wine would be breaking the law but if the council used the bylaw then it gives police discretion to confiscate alcohol from the troublemakers."

Steve Miller. of St Botolph's Traders' Association, said: "We all know there are 15 to 20 people who we would not want to see in the town centre during the day. They ruin the town and they don't get the drink from pubs at night."

Insp Paul Fieldsend, of Colchester police, told the meeting it would be a very expensive measure for the council to bring in and he pointed out most of the empty bottles were of soft drinks.

He added: "It is a very police-intensive thing to resource and it is certainly not supported by the Chief Constable of Essex or the local superintendent.

"We believe the way forward to alcohol-related problems is to control the number of licensed premises, not a blanket ban on drinking in public."

Town Centre Forum chairman councillor Terry Sutton (Lib Dem, Berechurch) said the issue had been brought before the council before when, he was told, no agreement had been made, but the matter would be looked at.

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