DARLINGTON’S council will criminalise vulnerable people and the homeless if they introduce “ludicrously broad” proposals to fine beggars, street drinkers and anti-social youths, a civil rights organisation has warned.

A consultation is currently on-going into plans to introduce a contentious Public Space Protection Order as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour around Darlington’s town centre.

The order would give police and council officers remarkable powers to hand out fines to those persistently behaving in a manner deemed inappropriate.

A draft version highlights activities said to have caused a “detrimental effect to the quality of life of those living in the locality”, including being intoxicated and drinking in a public place, begging, behaving threateningly, swearing and obstructing public access to buildings.

The order, which covers a large swathe of the town centre, would mean an offence has been committed if someone continues drinking there after being asked to stop, fails to surrender alcohol when asked to do so or uses threatening or intimidating behaviour towards other people.

It also forbids people from begging or asking others for money “whether by placing an item before them for receipt of money or otherwise” and says that “no person shall loiter so as to cause an obstruction” on a public highway.

Those behaving in such a way will risk potential criminal conviction and fines ranging from £100 fixed penalty notices to a potential £1,000 in court issued fines.

The introduction of PSPOs elsewhere has proved contentious, with concerns expressed by those who believe such orders significantly restrict public freedom in urban spaces and have a detrimental effect on vulnerable people.

Despite Home Office guidance instructing councils not to target people for being homeless, more than 50 authorities already use PSPOs to prohibit begging and loitering.

Civil rights organisation Liberty has warned Darlington council that doing the same would effectively “criminalise begging and rough sleeping and will punish some of the town’s most vulnerable people”.

Liberty’s legal officer Lara ten Catel said: “The draft order is ludicrously broad and is blatantly targeting the homeless in breach of government guidance that prohibits this.

“With this PSPO, Darlington would become the latest local authority to demonstrate precisely how ripe for misuse these very broad powers are.”

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said: “A PSPO is not simply a blanket ban on certain activities in a certain area. Instead, it is a positive measure that enables the police and other designated officers to deal more effectively with disorder.

“We are currently inviting comments on the proposals and would encourage the group to share its views with us so that they can be taken on board along with those of others.”

For more information or to share views on the proposals, visit darlington.gov.uk.