Street drinking clampdown in Navan from October

Public drinking in Navan will mean on the-spot-fines for outdoor boozers from next month. On Tuesday of last week, Navan Town Council adopted tougher measures on public drinking whereby alcohol can be confiscated or destroyed and a fixed penalty of €75 can be imposed on those flouting the new by-laws. Councillors have been working on the by-laws to tackle the problem of public drinking in and around the town since March. Under the new rules, offenders could face a conviction and a possible fine not exceeding €1,875. The new by-laws will come into operation on Monday 10th October and follow fast on the heels of the new CCTV for the town centre in a double-pronged assault on antisocial behaviour in Navan. "The introduction of these by-laws is a hugely important tool to help the gardai in the tough job they face of controlling antisocial behaviour caused by drink," said Navan councillor Shane Cassells. "I want to see these laws enforced rigorously because there are people who suffer greatly from cider and lager louts drinking outside in green areas. "A prime example is the green area at the back of Woodlands estate and adjoining Mellowes Terrace which leads out on to Academy Street. Many elderly people are afraid to walk up that laneway because of the drinking parties that go on there at the height of summer," said Cllr Cassells. "I highlighted similar antisocial cases at the back of Limekiln Woods, the green outside the boundary of St Brigid's Villas and Waterville Crescent during the summer. There is no doubt that there is a trend of boozing parties happening in close proximity to convenience stores and off-licences that are located close to residential areas," he claimed. He said it has caused a lot of problems for residents who live close by and creates a headache for the gardai. "The fact that there are by-laws in place now helps the legal enforcement of tackling this scourge. It is important that they are now enforced and, hopefully, we can begin to address this problem in our town," he added.