Coastal and Visitor Areas Public Space Protection Order approved for Southport and Sefton

Sefton Council on Thursday 14 July 2022 approved a new Coastal and Visitor Areas Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), to help ensure the Borough’s coastline can be enjoyed by everyone.

PSPOs help the Council’s officers and its partner agencies manage Sefton’s coastline and visitor areas by making clear the kinds of behaviour expected and what is unacceptable.

Areas covered by the new Order include littering and pollution, fires and BBQs, dog fouling, parking, large unauthorised gatherings and anti-social behaviour. Failure to comply can result in a £75 Fixed Penalty Notice.

Scheduled to be in place for three years, the Order is based on existing bylaws and will support wider existing legislation. This includes laws in line with Sefton Coast’s protected status, which result from its unique combination of rare habitats and wildlife.

Feedback from local communities, visitors and partner agencies, gained through a public consultation, has been used to shape the Order, which will provide enforcement powers to protect the public from anti-social behaviour.

Cllr Lappin, Cabinet Member for Regulatory, Compliance and Corporate Services, said: “Firstly, we fully appreciate why so many people are so keen to visit our beautiful Borough and we really to enjoy their time here.

“All we ask is that that they do their bit to protect and respect this special place for generations to come.

“The vast majority of visitors and residents do just that and treat our wonderful coastline with respect and our residents with consideration, and the introduction of this Order, will have very little or no impact on them.

“However, it will help to make clear what is and what isn’t acceptable and will give our teams, along with those of our partners, greater powers to deal with that very small minority who behave inappropriately and cause distress and disturbance to local residents and businesses, or damage to our precious natural coast and infrastructure.”

Community policing Superintendent at Merseyside Police, Graeme Robson said: “As the summer holidays start, we know that many people will want to visit our fantastic beaches and beauty spots in Sefton and we know the overwhelming majority will do so responsibly.

“Introducing the Public Space Protection Order will help visitors and residents enjoy our coastline safely, throughout the summer and beyond, by making clear what behaviour is and isn’t acceptable.

“Our officers will be working with our partners at Sefton Council to make sure that people can have a good time at our beaches and beauty spots, free of anti-social and criminal behaviour.

“Rest assured acting in an anti-social manner should expect to be dealt with robustly and we will support our partners in their work. If you have any concerns, please speak to our officers out on patrol, or call 101 so that we can take action and keep our communities safe.”

Over the coming weeks, there will be a focus on raising awareness of the coastal and visitor areas PSPO and the rules that need to be followed. Signage will be installed across the Borough to make sure people are aware of their responsibilities while they enjoy their time in Sefton.

Sefton Council is encouraging all those who visit Sefton, as well as people who live, work in the Borough to familiarise themselves with the Order. They can do this by heading to www.sefton.gov.uk/pspo where they will find the full list of restrictions and the locations that fall within the order.

Some of the restrictions include:

• Pollution: Leaving litter, dog fouling, urinating/defecating in public, or noise pollution.
• Vehicle related antisocial behaviour; either within defined car parks or taking motor vehicles outside of defined parking areas.
• Lighting any fire or BBQ.
• Taking a dog into a dog exclusion zone, or allowing its behaviour to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to another person or wildlife.
• Taking part in or organising gatherings of over 40 people without written permission from the Council.
• Overnight stays in tents, motorhomes or caravans without written permission from the Council.