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East Lothian ban on public drinking
18/06/2008
East Lothian Council has been granted permission to introduce bans on the public consumption of alcohol.
The changes will also see current bans within towns and villages in East Lothian updated.
The bans will come into effect on June 30, 2008 and cover:
- Aberlady
- Dirleton
- Dunbar, West Barns and John Muir Country Park
- Gullane
- Haddington
- Longniddry, Cockenzie and Port Seton
- Macmerry
- Musselburgh
- North Berwick
- Ormiston
- Prestonpans
- Tranent
- Wallyford
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
"Public drinking is often a nuisance and can greatly hamper the quality of life for residents in a particular area. The 30 councils that have such byelaws in force have paid testimony to their effectiveness in reducing the nuisance and disorder commonly associated with public drinking. I will continue to support other councils that come forward with similar byelaw proposals"
Following a successful experiment in the use of byelaws to prohibit drinking in designated parts of Galashiels, Motherwell and Dundee, other local authorities were invited in 1993 to submit proposals for similar byelaws under powers contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.
To date, 30 local councils across Scotland have such byelaws, which cover more than 480 towns and villages, together with the built up areas within the city of Glasgow.