COPS are bringing back a booze ban’ zone in London’s East End this week to tackle street yobs and liquor louts. They are targeting the famous Brick Lane including whole tracts of Spitalfields to get rid of “intimidation and anti-social behaviour” from the streets

By Mike Brooke

COPS are bringing back a booze ban’ zone in London’s East End this week to tackle street yobs and liquor louts.

They are targeting the famous Brick Lane and whole tracts of Spitalfields to get rid of “intimidation and anti-social behaviour” from the streets.

Police have identified what they describe as “alcohol-related crime and disorder in the Brick Lane area.”

So a Dispersal Zone has been agreed with Tower Hamlets council which runs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening between 6pm and 2am.

It starts this Thursday (July 23) and continues to August 30.

THREATENING

“We have taken this action because people have a right to feel safe in their neighbourhood,” said a police spokesman.

“It’s unacceptable when you cannot use streets, cashpoints, shops or public parks because of threatening groups hanging around.”

The dispersal zone’ means yobs can be made to disburse if they’re causing bother.

Police and support officers have powers to break up groups in areas with dispersal’ orders where their presence can lead to “the public being harassed, intimidated, alarmed or distressed.” Hooligans can be excluded for up to 24 hours.

THREATENING

Even kids under 16 found in the zone after 9pm to be involved in or are at risk from anti-social behaviour could have their collar felt and be packed off home by cops.

Yobs refuse to budge would be committing an offence and could face fines up to �2,500 or even jail, police warn.

The zone starting 6pm this Thursday takes in all or parts of Grey Eagle Street, Quaker Street, Pedley Street, Weaver Street, Code Street, Buxton Street, Spital Street, Hanbury Street, Spelman Street, Chicksand Street and Brick Lane itself as far south as Osborn Street, down to Whitechapel Road, and west along Fashion Street as far as Commercial Street.

Police brought in their first East End no yobs’ zone in 2005, along Whitechapel, which ran six months and cleared the market of drunks and yobs.