Police have been granted a dispersal order covering a large section of Northampton town centre, giving them the power to move anti-social troublemakers out of the area for the next six months.
Northamptonshire Police today revealed the dispersal order will be active in the Horsemarket area of Northampton, and will come into effect on Monday.
The order will last until Wednesday, February 5, next year.
Detectives say the order has been sought to combat reports of anti-social behaviour in the area.
It gives police new powers to force people to “immediately leave the area”.
Police will have the power to move potential troublemakers out of the designated area under Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003.
Under the relevant section of act, entitled “dispersal of groups and removal of persons under 16 to their place of residence”, officers can move people on if they have “reasonable grounds for believing that any members of the public have been intimidated, harassed, alarmed or distressed as a result of the presence or behaviour of groups of two or more persons”.
The roads covered by the order are:
Gold Street, St Katherine’s street, St Katherine’s Square, Horsemarket, Broad Street, Sheep Street, Silver Street, Bradshaw Street, King Street, Church Lane, Regent Street, Newlands, Victoria Street, Lady’s Lane, Thomas Street, Temple Bar, Ash Street, Oak Street, Marble Arch, Elm Street, Lorne Road, Bailiff Street, Campbell Street, Spencer Parade, St Giles Terrace, York Road.