VILLAGERS have decided not to press for a ban on drinking alcohol in public places.Martlesham Parish Council was asked to consider introducing a ban in the areas of the village adjoining Woodbridge to work in conjunction with a proposed blanket ban throughout the historic market town.

VILLAGERS have decided not to press for a ban on drinking alcohol in public places.

Martlesham Parish Council was asked to consider introducing a ban in the areas of the village adjoining Woodbridge to work in conjunction with a proposed blanket ban throughout the historic market town.

Woodbridge Town Council has started work on the legislative process required to bring in an alcohol ban and it decided to ask Martlesham and Melton to support the town by pressing for a ban on neighbouring areas.

But Martlesham council, while supporting Woodbridge's ban in principle, decided not to ask for legislation to be applied to the village.

The decision was taken at a monthly meeting of the parish council and afterwards the clerk, Lynne Lodge, said: ''The parish council supports Woodbridge in pursuing that idea but they are certainly not planning to introduce anything in Martlesham at this time.

''I am aware that they have a problem in Woodbridge but Martlesham does not have a big problem at the moment and our understanding is that to go ahead with the ban you have to have a definite history of alcohol problems and the police and the district council have to fully support it.

''Our understanding is that you can not just use the legislation to put a ban wherever you take a fancy and you have to be very specific about the area.''

Town councillors in Woodbridge want to ban the drinking of alcohol in public in the whole town although drink would be allowed at community events, for example in the Market Place or Elmhurst Park.

They are worried about the large gatherings of young people, particularly in the summer, with bottles of alcohol and the disturbance to residents.

Les Binns, a town councillor on the banning alcohol sub committee, said yesterday: ''I do not know if you have to show there is a problem before you can make a decision but certainly Woodbridge has a problem. I think our concern was that some of the yobs would move over to Martlesham.''

The success of an alcohol-ban scheme in Bury St Edmunds town centre has been hailed by police officers as a good reason for a similar ban to be introduced in Woodbridge. But the town would be making a ground-breaking decision to have a ban for the whole area.