Nuisance behaviour sparks a mass of complaints

The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill has been championed by the government as a raft of measures to help stamp out the scourge of nuisance behaviour.

Critics point to civil liberties concerns and say the government is only trying to look as though it is taking tough action when it is only tinkering.

A coalition of charities has published a survey suggesting most children believe the measures will create friction between them and the police.

The Lords report stage of the bill is also seeing ministers introduce plans to give local councils powers to intervene in disputes between neighbours over "high hedges".

The issue provokes thousands of complaints each year and the government is now moving to tackle the problem of nuisance plants like leylandii.

There are fears innocent youngsters could be victimised

Prime Minister Tony Blair underlined the importance of anti-social behaviour earlier this month.

"We owe it to the victims of anti-social behaviour - often the poorest in society - to get our act together," he said.

The new legislation would allow private security guards to issue on the spot fines for up to 80 offences - which would be at the discretion of chief constables.

Local councils would get wider powers to fine noisy neighbours and even confiscate hi-fi equipment.

The plans would also give police new powers to close down and seal drugs crack houses, and environmental health officers could also instantly close noisy pubs and clubs.

Children's charities are opposing moves to allow police to disperse groups of two children - down from the 20 needed to constitute an assembly under current laws.

A survey they have commissioned suggests seven out of 10 youngsters said police should not get new powers.

This is the imposition of government morality to 15-year-olds who have done nothing more wrong than be on the street Anthony Jennings QC Charities oppose bill

Ahead of Thursday's debate, that call was backed by Liberal Democrat frontbencher Baroness Walmsley.

She told BBC News Online: "It is about people merely being somewhere rather than actually doing something."

Lady Walmsley also raised fears that the bill would allow youngsters given anti-social behaviour orders to be "named and shamed" in the media.

Banning media outlets from giving details of why the order had been imposed would not help, she argued.

"It's a bit like being able to say that a woman's being put on a ducking stool in the Middle Ages but not being able to say she's a witch," he said.

'Unworkable'

The Lib Dems also oppose moves to allow head teachers to issue fixed penalty notices for parents breaching behaviour contracts for school pupils.

Conservative shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin was critical of the bill when it went before MPs, saying it did not go far enough.

Much of the bill would do no more than make minor extensions to existing powers, argued Mr Letwin, and most of the changes were to the government's own legislation.

"A large part of the bill will have absolutely no effect in practice, other parts of it are unworkable, some of it is entirely meaningless, and another part is of questionable good sense," he said.

'Victimisation'

Former Conservative Sports Minister Lord Moynihan is trying to get the bill to tackle premises used for performance-enhancing drugs in sport.

And he is also worried by the proposed ban on airguns and replica weapons in public places - wanting people to be able to carry air weapons to shooting ranges.

A spokesman for civil rights group Liberty said it had "enormous concerns" about the bill.

"There is a clear danger here that what we are going to see is victimisation, picking on people simply because they are young," he said.

The spokesman also criticised the government for a "lack of joined up thinking" on combating nuisance behaviour.