COUNCILLORS will consider reinstating a ban on public drinking in a Newport neighbourhood amid concerns anti-social behaviour "continues to be a problem" there.

The city council has proposed a public consultation, seeking residents' views on whether to bring back a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to cover the area around Maesglas shops in Cardiff Road.

The orders give the authorities powers to clamp down on anti-social behaviour in areas where it is "persistent" or "unreasonable", and anyone who breaches such an order can face fines of up to £1,000.

If passed, the order would mean police, community support officers, and council officers could also restrict access to some public places.

The same area of Maesglas was covered by a similar restriction in 2018, but this expired in 2021, during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Now that lockdowns are a thing of the past, the city council has put forward a proposal to renew the order on the same terms as its predecessor.

That would make it an offence if someone in the area refuses to stop drinking alcohol or to hand over containers of booze when ordered to do so by an officer.

It would also be an offence for people to "behave in a manner that has caused or is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to a member of the public and then refuse to disperse from the area when asked to do".

People could also be fined if they "sell, use or possess intoxicating substances". Anyone caught with such substances must "surrender them" if ordered to.

And anyone who uses a gated-off path behind Maesglas shops without authorisation could also find themselves in trouble with the authorities.

Documents show the council has already held an "informal consultation" with local councillors, the police and Newport City Homes, which "indicated that the previous (order) was successful and that a renewal of (the order) is necessary to prevent anti-social behaviour significantly impacting on the local community again".

Data on recent anti-social behaviour, however, is "skewed by the Covid-19 restrictions including full public lockdowns".

But "anecdotal feedback from partners [suggests] anti-social behaviour continues to be a problem in the area", according to council documents.

If the city council decides to pursue a new order for the Maesglas shops area, a public consultation will be held over a four-week period.

Members of the public will be invited to comment on whether to keep the previous restrictions, remove any of the previous restrictions, add any new restrictions, and whether the previous area covered by the order should be retained or amended, the council said.