Drinkers told to behave or face ban

Revellers in Oswestry are being warned that they face being banned for up to a year from pubs for serious alcohol-related offences following the launch of a campaign in the town.

The Oswestry Pub and Event Watch scheme was launched yesterday in time for the May Bank Holiday, a notorious alcohol-fuelled weekend, with the message “behave or be banned”.

Oswestry Borough Council, the crime reduction partnership and West Mercia police, have joined forces with nearly 30 licensees.

Council licence enforcement officer Tony Smalley said it was a national scheme that has proved a huge success in other areas, including Shrewsbury.

He said: “In Reading they have seen a 25 per cent reduction in drink-fuelled crime. They have been voted the best pub watch scheme in the UK.

“The whole idea is to have a radio link between prem- ises so that if you have an incident of disorder, whether violent or just abusive behaviour, they will contact other premises to say they have either ejected someone or refused them entry.

“It’s not about banning people all the time, but to encourage people to act responsibly and set down guidelines for the night time economy. That’s the whole idea - to make Oswestry a safe night out.

“If you are chucked out of one - you will be out of them all. It might only be for that night. It is just about making sure people act responsibly and behave in a respon- sible manner when in licen- sed premises and when they leave.”