Public Spaces Protection Orders in Stockton town centre and Norton given the green light

Street drinking, begging, anti-social behaviour and using off road or e-bikes and scooters in Stockton Town Centre and Norton are set to be targeted with new extended Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).

PSPOs give Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Civic Enforcement Team and the Police more powers to fine individuals for specific and repeated anti-social behaviour problems in a given area.

Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence and can be dealt with by issuing a £100 fixed penalty notices (FPN) or prosecution.

Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet yesterday (March 12) gave the green light for the introduction of the new PSPOs, which will replace those which came into place since April 2023 and are due to expire in April.

The new PSPOs will again target begging, including begging in a threatening or intimidating way, following people or begging near a cash machine or bus stop, and drinking alcohol in specified areas.

However, they have been extended to other anti-social behaviours, including using off road or e-bikes and scooters irresponsibly, urination and defecating in a public place and dog fouling.

The Council carried out a public consultation between December 2025 to January 2026 to find out what people thought about introducing new PSPOs. 528 people completed the consultation and gave their views.

It revealed that 93 percent of participants identified begging as an issue in Stockton Town Centre and 87 percent in Norton.

A total of 96 percent reported street drinking as a problem in Stockton Town Centre, while 77 percent said the same for Norton.

87 percent of people said a PSPO in Stockton Town Centre to support street-drinking controls and begging would increase their sense of safety with 83 percent same regarding Norton.

The new PSPOs will come into effect on April 3, 2026. The orders will cover Stockton Town Centre including the new Stockton Waterfront urban park and Norton Village.

Councillor Norma Stephenson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough's Council's Cabinet Member for Access, Communities and Community Safety, said: "More than 500 residents responded to the consultation and, while many remain concerned about aggressive begging and street drinking, there was a clear desire for other forms of anti-social behaviour to be dealt with in both Stockton Town Centre and Norton respectively.

"We are committed to making our town centres welcoming, thriving places, where people want to visit, spend time and support local businesses. We've listened to people's concerns and we're acting on them.

"The new PSPOs are being rolled out in time for the completion of the new Stockton Waterfront urban park so we hope that this will help reassure people that we are doing all we can to make it a safe and enjoyable place to visit."

If you would like to make a report or find out more, please contact the Civic Enforcement team on 01642 528439 or civic.enforcement@stockton.gov.uk