Watford's 24-hour no-drinking order expires in December. A one-question survey on renewing it runs for three weeks from 14 October; the £500 fine stays.
Watford’s town centre no-drinking order runs out in December, and residents have three weeks to say whether it should be renewed. Safer Watford, the town’s community safety partnership, opened the consultation on 14 October. Watford Borough Council’s announcement says it “will last for three weeks”, which takes it to about Wednesday 4 November. The council has not printed an exact closing date.
The order is a Public Spaces Protection Order, or PSPO. It applies 24 hours a day across a large part of central Watford.
What the order does
It is not a blanket ban on drinking outdoors. The council’s PSPO page says that inside the zone, if a police officer, a PCSO or an authorised officer asks you to, you must:
- stop drinking alcohol
- hand over any open containers of alcohol
Refusing can lead to a fixed penalty notice or a court summons, and a fine of up to £500.
The council’s announcement says street parties and community events with alcohol “can still go ahead as normal”. It says the order is aimed at anti-social behaviour, “rather than preventing responsible drinking”. You only have to stop if an officer asks.
Where it applies
The zone covers parks, play areas, cemeteries, footpaths and any other open-air public space inside the boundary on the council’s official map, which is dated December 2023. Signs mark it on the ground.
Reading that map, the boundary takes in:
- the High Street, The Parade, Market Street and the streets around Charter Place
- Clarendon Road and the streets up to Station Road at Watford Junction
- Queens Road and Beechen Grove
- west to Rickmansworth Road, Cassio Road and Harwoods Road
- south over Vicarage Road and Wiggenhall Road to Watford Fields, Lower High Street and Hamilton Street
Check the map itself if you live near the edge. It runs street by street.
The survey is one question
The survey asks a single question: “Do you support the renewal?” You answer yes or no, then explain your reason in a text box.
It does not propose any change to the boundary, the hours or the powers. The council’s release asks for “opinions about and suggestions for the PSPO”, so the text box is the place for those.
Peter Taylor, the Elected Mayor, said the order “will help to make sure that everyone can continue to feel safe and provide reassurance that we will take action against antisocial behaviour”.
How we got here
PSPOs can last up to three years before they have to be renewed or changed. The last renewal followed a consultation that opened on 10 October 2023. Both of Watford’s orders were then renewed from 27 December 2023, and that renewal extended the drinking zone into Watford Fields. The council’s PSPO page says both now expire in December 2026.
What about Albert Road South?
Watford’s second PSPO stops non-commercial vehicles entering Albert Road South late at night, including the Sainsbury’s car park there. It has been in place since 2017 and supports police dispersal plans for the night-time economy.
It expires in December too. But this year’s survey covers only the drinking order, and the council has not announced a consultation on the Albert Road South one. Its announcement refers to renewing “the existing PSPOs”, in the plural.
The council’s own page is also out of step on that order. It says the restriction runs on Friday, Saturday and Monday nights. The December 2023 renewal release said Monday evenings had been removed, in favour of Sundays before a bank holiday.
What it means for you
- If you drink outside in the town centre, nothing changes unless an officer asks you to stop. Refusing still risks a fine of up to £500.
- If you have a view, fill in the survey before about 4 November. It takes a minute.
- Planning a street party inside the zone? The council says those can go ahead as normal.
Our story on Watford’s policing priorities has the latest shoplifting and anti-social behaviour figures for each neighbourhood.
Have your say