BEGGING attracted more fines than any other ‘nuisance’ behaviour in Bolton, new figures show.

Bolton Council issued 40 fixed penalty notices for begging ­— and handed out eight ‘community protection notices for dog fouling and ‘waste offences’ last year.

Town hall chiefs brought in Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO) to tackle anti-social behaviour in Bolton.

The order bans street drinking, open drug use, graffiti and aggressive begging, as well as cycling in pedestrianised areas and unauthorised street trading,

Bolton Council issued 52 fixed penalty notices, up to £100,for the violation of Public Spaces Protection Orders, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by campaign group The Manifesto Group.

The reason for the other penalties were: for the use of an amplifier, two for anti-social behaviour, two for cycling, five for drinking alcohol on the street, one for intoxicating substances and one for peddling/street trading.

The council also gave out eight Community Protection Notices (CPN) in the year to October last year.

The orders can place legal restrictions on people whose behaviour is deemed to have a similar negative effect on a community’s quality of life.

The council said they were given out for reasons including dog fouling, and waste offences.

Across England and Wales, 8,760 CPNs were issued by 202 councils in the year to October – the highest number recorded by the civil liberties group and up from 6,234 by 192 councils the previous year.

Councils gave out 10,413 PSPOs in 2019, up from 9,930 a year earlier.

Nesil Caliskan, chairman of the LGA’s safer and stronger communities board, said: “PSPOs and CPNs will not be suitable or effective in all circumstances.

“As with other services, PSPOs are subject to scrutiny by democratically elected councillors, and councils must consult with community representatives.”