New orders to help tackle antisocial behaviour and make public spaces safer are being proposed by North Somerset Council.

The council is planning to introduce a number of new and amended Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) in response to concerns from homeowners and businesses about community safety issues in their area.

PSPOs were first introduced by the council in 2017 to deter individuals or groups of people committing antisocial behaviour in public places.

They are enforced by designated council staff, police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and other officers authorised by the council.

Anyone breaching a PSPO is reported to the council which deals with each offence on a case-by-case basis - this could include a written warning, restorative justice, a fixed penalty notice or, in some cases, prosecution.

The council is now consulting on new area-wide PSPOs which include inconsiderate parking, aggressive begging, nuisance noise and antisocial driving.

There are also proposed changes to the PSPOs on council buildings and sites, children’s play areas and skate parks and a number of dog control PSPOs aimed at encouraging responsible dog ownership.

The new orders also include local public spaces such as no swimming at Abbots Pool nature reserve in Abbots Leigh which the council was forced to close in the summer following concerns for public health and issues with environmental damage and antisocial behaviour.

Mark Canniford, the council's executive member for community safety, said: "PSPOs are an important tool in tackling antisocial behaviour.

"We have listened to what residents and businesses have been telling us about issues in their local communities.

"In response to their concerns, we are proposing a number of new orders which will allow the council and our partner agencies such as the police to deal more effectively with a wider range of antisocial behaviour issues in our public spaces.

"Please give us your feedback, thoughts and questions on these proposals which we will take into consideration before making any final decisions."

People are encouraged to have their say on the new orders which can be viewed by logging on to https://n-somerset.inconsult.uk/consult.ti/npspo/consultationHome.

The consultation closes on January 3.