Blackpool wants off-licence ban

Blackpool Council wants to ban any more off-licences opening in four areas of the town in a bid to reduce crime and disorder.

The Council has launched a consultation on an off-licence specific saturation zone in the Bloomfield, Claremont, Talbot and Victoria wards of the town.

If successful, it would mean that any new licence applications would have to specifically prove that they would not add to crime and disorder.

"The police believe that there is a link between the number of off-licensed premises in the wards identified and crime and disorder," said the Council.

"The adoption of a special policy would be another tool to address crime and disorder, to restrict further growth of such problems and would support the crime prevention objective."

It added: "The effect of this special policy would create a rebuttable presumption that any applications for off-licences in the defined areas would be refused."

Jonathan Smith, managing partner at Poppleston Allen said: "It is an unusual step and the first I have seen but I could see others following this lead.

"The important part is if the police have the evidence to show that trouble makers are getting the drink from the off-licences as opposed to being given it or taking it from home.

"If they have that evidence then they could justify it."

Smith added that any new licence would have to try and "prove a negative" by showing it would not further contribute to crime and disorder.