Pub ban could be slapped on 'booze ASBO' offenders

Magistrates will be able to ban drunken thugs from entering pubs, bars and off-licences, under new powers unveiled by the government.

Drinking Banning Orders (DBO) - or "booze ASBOs" - can be slapped on anyone over 16 who regularly commits crime or behaves anti-socially while drunk.

Police and councils can apply for a DBO and then magistrates will have the power to impose any condition they think necessary to stop the person re-offending.

This can include banning them from drinking in public places and certain pubs, bars and off licences. They could also be banned from entering certain areas.

Anyone breaching a DBO - which can last from between two months and two years - could face a fine of up to £2,500.

Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said tackling alcohol crime was a "top priority" and the government had made "real progress" but said there was still more to be done as it was costing the UK "billions".

"These orders will stop those people who are well known to the authorities, licencees and often the communities where they live, from ruining lives and will make them face up to their destructive behaviour," he added.

However the measures, announced yesterday, have already attracted criticism. The Magistrates Association said trying to ban people from all licensed premises was "nonsense".

Chairman John Thornhill said: "We are not satisfied that these will work as effectively as perhaps some of the Asbos have.

"If you try banning [offenders] from all the pubs in the town, who is going to tell all the pubs in the town? Many of the supermarkets now have a licence to sell alcohol. It's going to be nonsense really."

Isabella Sankey, policy director, for civil liberties group Liberty said: "How many times can you spin a new 'crackdown' without tackling the causes of offending behaviour?

"It will be jelly bean Asbos for sugared-up kids next. Surely it's time to call last orders on endless new legislation."

The British Beer & Pub Association said it would be "watching closely" how the measures work.

Communications manager Neil Williams said: "It will certainly add to the already large armoury of police powers to tackle antisocial behaviour, but as always, enforcement is the key when it comes to whether or not it will help in practice."