Urine-soaked lay-bys, drunken beach parties and roaring motorbikes keeping guests awake at night were among the anti-social behaviour problems laid bare during a recent North Devon Council meeting.
Councillors described incidents involving unconscious teenagers, noisy town centre car parks, intimidating behaviour and rubbish-strewn beauty spots as the authority considered renewing powers aimed at tackling disorder across the district.
North Devon Council’s Licensing and Community Safety Committee heard the concerns during a meeting on Tuesday, May 12, while discussing the future of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) covering parts of Barnstaple and Ilfracombe.
The orders prohibit public urination and defecation, anti-social street drinking, aggressive begging and allow authorities to disperse troublesome groups from designated areas.
Community safety lead Tim Birtwisle said the council was beginning work on renewing the orders before they expire later this year.
Mr Birtwisle said the council was also considering whether additional areas across North Devon should be included if evidence showed there was a need.
He told councillors: “The current PSPOs in our town centres have four conditions, so they forbid public urination, defecation, consumption of alcohol, aggressive begging, and they allow a dispersal of rowdy groups.”
Councillors repeatedly warned that anti-social behaviour problems were no longer confined to Barnstaple and Ilfracombe and were increasingly affecting coastal villages, beaches and rural beauty spots during the summer months.
Cllr Frank Biederman said large gatherings fuelled by social media had become a growing issue along the coast.
He said beach parties used to be largely confined to the first weekend after GCSE exams but were now happening far more regularly.
Cllr Biederman said: “It used to be just one weekend a year and we would all turn out and clear the litter the following morning.
“The problem is now that we have it every weekend with social media. They can advertise these parties.”
He also raised concerns about young people drinking heavily near the sea.
Cllr Biederman added: “My worry always is the fact that when they are drinking a lot of alcohol next to the sea, the tide is out, they fall asleep, the tide comes in.”
Cllr Pru Maskell described one incident involving a heavily intoxicated teenager who became trapped in sand dunes.
She said: “A young person was so drunk and he had got his head stuck through the chestnut paling on the sand dunes and was unconscious.
“I think the coastguards managed to get him out and then they had to transport him to hospital because there were no emergency services available.”
Cllr Maskell said anti-social behaviour in coastal areas often felt overlooked because it differed from street drinking problems seen in larger towns.
She also highlighted growing concerns about overnight camping in lay-bys along the Saunton coast.
Cllr Maskell said unofficial websites were advertising the area as a place where campervan users could stay overnight.
She told the meeting she had counted multiple vans parked in lay-bys early in the morning during the summer.
Cllr Maskell said: “Where do they go to the toilet?
“If you look over the wall, the rubbish is unbelievable.”
She later added: “It does smell awful. If you stop to look at the view, it smells terrible.”
Cllr Louisa York asked whether the council could identify the websites promoting overnight stays in lay-bys.
Meanwhile, councillors also raised concerns about a growing problem with noisy vehicles and alleged motorbike racing at Barnstaple Central Car Park.
Cllr Syed Jusef said nearby residents and a local guest house were being affected by repeated disturbances at night.
He said: “If one customer or two customers cannot sleep in the night, they give a bad review and it is going to affect badly.”
Mr Birtwisle confirmed the issue had already been discussed by the council’s anti-social behaviour steering group.
He said the police and council were working together on ways to discourage the behaviour.
Mr Birtwisle added: “There has been quite a lot of complaints around noise and vehicle noise from that car park.”
The meeting heard CCTV cameras in the area do not record sound, making it harder to gather evidence.
Cllr York suggested environmental health officers could potentially install sound monitors.
Elsewhere during the meeting, Cllr Maskell described being approached by a hooded man while sitting alone in her car in Barnstaple Cattle Market car park at night.
She said she had been waiting to collect someone while sitting with the engine running when a man approached the vehicle and appeared to move between several cars in the area.
Cllr Maskell said: “It was really quite scary.
“There were people lurking around that car park.
“It was definitely quite unnerving as a woman on your own.”
Councillors also discussed ongoing problems linked to street drinking and homelessness in Barnstaple town centre.
Cllr Joy Cann said bedding and belongings were regularly being left around areas including Butchers Row, Holland Walk and Joy Street.
She said the discarded bedding was creating obstructions for people using pushchairs and mobility scooters.
Cllr Cann said: “It is filthy dirty and it is just left there.”
Council officers explained that PSPO enforcement often involved balancing anti-social behaviour concerns with wider issues surrounding alcohol dependency, homelessness and mental health.
Council officer Hannah Pettifer said some individuals subject to restrictions had complex personal circumstances, including addiction and mental health conditions.
The committee also discussed public urination offences, with Cllr Cann asking whether offenders could face more serious consequences under indecent exposure laws.
Ms Pettifer said outcomes depended on the circumstances and warned it would not be appropriate to make blanket comparisons with sex offender offences.
She confirmed public urination remained a breach of the PSPO and should be reported to police.
Mr Birtwisle said evidence gathered from police reports and complaints made to the council would shape any future expansion of the PSPO areas.
He said the council would look at anti-social behaviour “across North Devon as a whole”, including both towns and coastal communities.
