A group of over-50s who regularly gather in a west London market square to play dominoes and backgammon face being fined or arrested after a council deemed them too "rowdy".
The predominantly black Caribbean and Irish friends often frequent the square in Maida Vale, but are now subject to a special court injunction secured by Westminster Council.
Anyone officers consider to be causing a noise or disruption could be slapped with a legal notice, which members say will damage the crucial role their gatherings play in their community.
They argue the friendships and trust developed over decades in the square has helped form a mental health support system, the loss of which could be detrimental, reports MyLondon.
In a bid to be heard, the members have started a campaign called 'Provide not Punish', led by local resident Jacqui Haynes.
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It aims to get the community support they need, including a hall where they can meet.
Local resident Prue said her husband Alan was seriously ill and had to be on dialysis four days a week as he had kidney failure.
He sadly died five weeks ago following a long battle with Covid-19.
“The square is the one thing that got him out of his house,” Prue said.
Ernest Theophile - known as 'Popcorn' - is a central figure in the community and is famous for having found ex-Prime Minister David Cameron's stolen bike.
“Every single day I am there, there is no other place I would want to go to," he said, adding that he has been going to the square since he was eight.
However, he was served with an injunction order and is due to appear in court at the end of the month.
Jacqui Haynes had been trying to work with Westminster Council to bring about some support for the community.
But she feels that they are all being tarred with the same brush as other "hangers-on" join the close-knit group, and Covid has been used as an excuse to bring more emergency powers.
A volunteer, who did not wish to be named, said: “I'm not saying they're not rowdy because they are, but if you look at our culture, the black culture, we are loud.
“Where do you think carnival comes from? Is it not loud and rowdy? But it's ours."
A spokesman for Westminster Council told the Mirror: “This injunction was put in place due to an increase in anti-social behaviour (ASB) and noise disruption at Maida Hill Market.
"ASB in this area has increased over time, and, during lockdown, has become an attractive location for large gatherings. The implementation of this injunction gives us the means to help support our local residents who have been subjected to repeated noise and disruption during the day and evenings, which is detrimental to their health and wellbeing.
“Our previous attempts at community engagement and the serving of various temporary criminal behaviour orders and community protection notices have been unsuccessful, so we have taken this further action.
"We hope this new, more permanent council-led injunction will help reduce overall ASB in the area, change behaviours and ultimately protect the wellbeing of our residents which is our priority.”
