Drinking alcohol will be banned on certain streets in Cwmbran

New laws will be used by officers to stop people drinking in public part of Cwmbran town centre from 24 August.

The move comes after a growing number of complaints were received by police.

Gangs police believe are involved in anti-social behaviour will also be targeted and moved on from the area for 24 hours.

Officers from the Gwent Police force are implementing the legislation in the town with the support of the Torfaen Community Safety Partnership.

We just want to make Cwmbran town centre a nicer place for everyone Pc Darrell Dewer, Gwent Police

Anyone caught drinking alcohol on four of the main streets in the town centre could face a fine of �500 and be arrested.

Pc Darrell Dewer, the crime and reduction officer for the town, said the scheme was being put in place to reduce anti-social behaviour in Cwmbran.

"We have had problems historically in the town centre," he said.

"Members of the public have been abused by people who have drunk too much.

"We have seen it happen in the middle of the day.

"Members of the public have got a right to go about their business in the town without being abused," he added.

The police hope to reduce drink-related anti-social behaviour

An average of six complaints a week are received by police about abuse directed at people in the town centre.

Additional powers will also be adopted by police which will give them the authority to force gangs who gather in the town centre to leave the area for 24 hours.

The dispersal notices will only be issued to groups of two or more who police believe are causing trouble in the area.

Pc Dewer said: "We have had a problem in Cwmbran with gangs of youths causing problems and this enables us to move two or more people on and they must not return for 24 hours.

"And after 9pm, if there are any youths under the age of 16 who are causing trouble, we can remove them to their home or to a safe place.

"Since the beginning of the year we have had in excess of 80 complaints about gangs causing anti-social behaviour in the town centre.

"And Cwmbran is not a big town - if it was Cardiff or Newport then maybe 80 complaints would be fair enough, but not in Cwmbran.

"We are not going to go in heavy-handed and we will not move the gangs on if they are behaving."

He said that the dispersal notices would come into force from 1 September and said that schools in the local area were being informed about the new powers.

"With regards to both (drunken abuse and anti-social behaviour from gangs) we have had many, many complaints from members of the public," said Pc Dewer.

"This is not a knee-jerk reaction - we have tried conventional methods but we still get complaints.

"We just want to make Cwmbran town centre a nicer place for everyone."