ALCOHOL consumption is set to be banned from three public spaces in a concerted effort to crack down on disorder and anti-social behaviour.

Councillors in the Hambleton district are being urged to back hard-hitting proposals slapping booze-bans on two areas in Northallerton and one in Great Ayton.

It follows concerns raised by the police following a long series of incidents, each of which led to officers being despatched to Bullamoor Park and the Applegarth in Northallerton and High Green in Great Ayton.

Over the past few months the Hambleton Community Safety Partnership has been collecting evidence to support widespread complaints about anti-social behaviour in each of the three areas.

And in one five month period alone they identified 27 incidents - including criminal damage - in the Applegarth and a further eight in Bullamoor Park.

During the same period they monitored 21 incidents of nuisance and anti-social behaviour in High Green, six of which were directly related to drinking.

Director if financial services Philip Morton said: "Police officers have constantly been called to attend incidents within these areas over the last six months.

"Youths often congregate there in numbers and drink openly within sight of local residents and visitors to the town."

The police themselves say they are 'constantly' being called to each of the sites and they already use their existing powers to confiscate alcohol from the under-18s they find drinking.

The police have now made formal requests for the three sites to be specially designated, under the 2001 Criminal Justice and Police Act, giving them the power to act against people who are drinking there, confiscating their open cans and bottles.

Licensing officer PC Kevin Suffield said: "Legislation under the act is untried and I do not know what effect designating these areas will have. It may act as a deterrent."

The proposal has the full backing of the safety partnership and it is estimated it would cost around £5,000 - for one-off signing and advertising costs - to introduce.