Four teenagers have been issued with £100 fines following a spate of anti-social behaviour and disorder in Stafford town centre.
Enforcement officers from Stafford Borough Council joined Staffordshire Police to visit the homes of the boys, who live in the Littleworth, Highfields, Doxey, and Holmcroft areas of the town. The £100 fixed penalty notices were handed directly to the youths or their parents.
The clampdown follows rising complaints regarding groups of youths, aged between 13 and 16, intimidating visitors, residents, and local shoppers. Reported incidents included throwing eggs at moving cars, targeting cyclists, and physical assaults on members of the public.
Public Spaces Protection Order breaches
The fixed penalty notices were issued for breaching the town centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which prohibits gatherings of five or more people engaging in anti-social behaviour.
Council leaders confirmed that further home visits are planned over the coming days, after receiving additional reports identifying other juveniles involved in recent town centre disorder.
Councillor Jill Hood, Cabinet Member for Communities at Stafford Borough Council, said: “Good, law-abiding residents are absolutely sick and tired of seeing these feral youths run amok and seemingly getting away with it. They have been spoken to, they have been signposted to alternatives other than hanging around the town in the evenings, but that is obviously not working and it is not fair that people have to suffer because of the unruly actions of a few.
“So we will use what powers we have as a local authority and hit them with fixed penalties. If they don’t pay, then we will prosecute.
“The fines were issued with the boys’ parents in attendance, and I really hope that the mums, dads and guardians will be disgusted at what their children have been doing and support the action we are taking.”
Further measures planned
The enforcement action comes ahead of an update to the borough’s Public Spaces Protection Order scheduled for December. Under the revised rules, officers will have the authority to instruct individuals to remove face coverings, such as balaclavas, if they are being used in connection with criminal activity, anti-social behaviour, or conduct causing harassment, alarm, or distress. The measure received over 90 per cent backing in a recent public consultation.
Council officials stressed that addressing anti-social behaviour is vital to protecting footfall and supporting wider regeneration plans for the town centre, which include proposals for a new indoor market hall, public open spaces, and commercial investment.
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