Students living in Headingley, Hyde Park and on the fringes of Leeds city centre could be slapped with fines of up to £100 for breaking strict new rules which came into effect yesterday (Wednesday).
It comes after people living in the area have complained about 16-hour street parties during lockdown, people urinating on walls outside family homes and piles of rubbish left dumped at the side of the road.
The new laws will be in place for at least the next three years after repeated concerns about antisocial behaviour by the city's student population.
It means that anyone found to be hosting a street party or taking drugs in public may be ordered to pay up to £100.
The new ruling to tackle antisocial behaviour is known as a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) and is the 16th such order currently in effect across Leeds. It will cover Headingley and Hyde Park, as well as parts of Burley and Little London.
A consultation was launched at the back end of 2019 after a number of local residents reported loud street parties, people drinking alcohol and taking drugs outside. Rubbish has also been dumped at the side of the road and graffiti scrawled on the walls.
Alison McNeill, who has lived on Moorland Avenue, Hyde Park, for 20 years, said the issues have been going on for months, but that things have become even worse during lockdown.
"The PSPO is desperately needed," she said.
"We've had nothing but street parties from the student houses on this road.
"The Covid parties they seem to be having now are relentless. We've got families with young kids and doctors who live on this street."
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Another woman, who did not wish to be named, spoke about the pounding music that has plagued the area for several weeks.
She said: "There was one last Thursday that went on for about 16 hours. It started at about 6pm in the evening and went on all the way through to 10am in the morning.
"There seems to be no respect for local people."
The new PSPO prohibits the following behaviour:
- street parties which have "a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality and is of a persistent or continuing nature"
- gathering in groups of two or more to engage in anti-social behaviour likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress
- consuming alcohol or being in possession of an open container of alcohol in a public space
- ingesting, inhaling, injecting or smoking intoxicating substances
Anyone living in the area must also ensure bins are only put out after 6pm the night before their planned collection day. They must be brought back onto the property no later than 9pm on the day of collection.
People who are found to be breaking the rules may be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice of up to £100.
