£100 anti-social behaviour fine has come into force in Sunderland

People caught breaching new anti-social behaviour restrictions in Sunderland could face a £100 fine.

The city's updated Public Space(s) Protection order came into force on Saturday 1 May. This covers a range of anti social behaviour and will mean anyone breaching restrictions under the city’s newly updated facing fixed penalty fines of £100 compared with the previous £75 fine.

Key changes to the Public Space(s) Protection order include:

• A ban on spitting or discarding chewing gum in open public spaces

• A ban on motorcycles or quad bikes being ridden in any open public space

• The requirement for anyone in charge of a dog to be able to produce a dog bag or other appropriate receptacle to clean up after it

• A ban on skateboards, scooters, bicycles or self-propelled vehicles to be used in a way that would cause damage to property or annoyance to other people in the area

• A restriction on unauthorised events being held on adopted highways

• A ban on loitering/begging on the highway or in any pedestrian area for money or otherwise

• Prevention of bin raking (i.e. searching and/or taking items from rubbish bins or bags)

The new measures have been brought in following an extensive public consultation exercise in response to residents' calls for more enforcement action. This was one of the key findings to come out of the City Council's Let's Talk consultation in 2020.

Fiona Brown, Executive Director of Neighbourhoods, said:

"We know that the environment is a top priority for our residents and that they want to see more enforcement action because it was one of the key things to come out of our Let's Talk consultation.

"These new measures are designed to address the concerns residents told us were affecting their quality of life by getting tough on the kind of anti social behaviour that has a real impact on our communities.

"We hope the new £100 fines will make people think twice before getting involved in any kinds of anti-social behaviour."