CAERLEON'S annual May fair will be a booze-free affair this year as a new open-air drinking ban is set to get council approval.

From the May bank holiday weekend, police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) will be able to order anyone drinking alcohol in public in the area to stop and confiscate their opened bottles or cans of alcohol.

Anyone flouting the rules could be fined up to £500. The ban is to be implemented earlier than initially planned to take account of the May fair.

It follows more than a year of booze-fuelled trouble in the area. Last July a security guard was attacked by drunken youths as he patrolled the Caerleon Arts Festival.

At the time one landlord told the Argus the situation was so bad he actually closed on bank holidays to avoid the trouble.

Now landlords, police and residents are backing a ban on alcohol on the area's streets.

Caerleon Councillor Gail Giles said: "We are very pleased the order will be in place for the May fair as there have been a number of disturbances there in the past.

"We hope the ban will be very successful and deter people who only come to the fair to drink.

She added: "We don't want to discourage the fair, we just want to make it safe and enjoyable for all."

Proposals for the ban were put to the public for consultation before the final decision on whether to go ahead with the order was made by Councillor Ray Trueman, cabinet member for Community Safety.

It has been introduced with the full backing of the local police. Inspector Rod Grindlay of Alway division said: "This is another string to our bow in tacking anti-social behaviour in Caerleon.

"We welcome the May fair as a family-orientated event. "This order is not there to spoil people's entertainment, but to allow us to tackle anti-social behaviour. Arrest is not the desired outcome, we will be looking for people to co-operate with us but we will issue warnings and fixed penalties and will make arrests if necessary."