By Richard SmithPUB landlords have banned eight young people and adults for up to 12 months after they drank too much and attacked licensees or took part in anti-social behaviour.

By Richard Smith

PUB landlords have banned eight young people and adults for up to 12 months after they drank too much and attacked licensees or took part in anti-social behaviour.

The newly-launched Nightsafe scheme in Woodbridge wasted no time in ramming home the message that drunken antics would not be tolerated in the town.

Licensees and Pc Mick Sears, the town centre community police officer, have spent several months in preparing the scheme - and as soon as it was officially launched, men and women were banned from all licensed establishments in the town.

The tough action was taken in the run-up to the festive season to warn potential troublemakers that they would be hounded out of the town.

When the banning committee met for the first time, they immediately banned one girl and one boy under 18, and one woman and five men. Four people received bans of 12 months - three of them had either attacked licensees or their staff.

Pc Sears said: "That was the tone of the meeting. The licensees said they wanted to send out a strong message. Nobody is being given a second chance and they are banned from everywhere.

"The motto is 'Banned from one, banned from them all'. Letters were then sent out the following day to the people.

"They were not present at the banning committee and the committee had acted on the proposals from licensees, myself and other officers. Three people were notorious for causing trouble in the pubs and that is why they got a 12-month ban.

"They could go and drink outside Woodbridge, but what I feel is that if they like to socialise in Woodbridge they do not really want to socialise elsewhere."

Pc Sears said he hoped there would not be an overspill of trouble and that the banned drinkers would avoid causing problems outside Woodbridge. "I think this is a good start and these people will be banned before Christmas and New Year," he added.

About half of the banned troublemakers live in the town and the other half live outside Woodbridge.

The ban is far-reaching. It stops them from going into pubs, hotels, the Royal British Legion, Woodbridge Town Football Club and other licensed premises - and they cannot represent pub teams.

Photographs will be circulated among licensees of the banned culprits, but there will not be a "name and shame campaign".

richard.smith@eadt.co.uk