Beachgoers will be banned from drinking alcohol across a UK seaside town's parks and promenade this summer in a bid to reduce anti-social behaviour.
Breaching the new rule could lead to fines of up to £1,000.
Hartlepool Council imposed a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) following complaints about anti-social behaviour at Seaton Carew last summer, which one councillor dubbed "12 weeks of hell".
Once coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted, residents saw intoxicated beachgoers "urinating all over the place" and "exposing themselves in front of families", the council heard.
Alcohol will now be banned from 6am to 8pm on Seaton Promenade during summer months (April to October) and between 8am and 4pm at all other times, reports TeesideLive.
The council was considering a blanket ban, but councillors approved a motion to limit enforcement hours in a bid to protect the nighttime economy at the local resort.
Drinking will be banned outright, 24 hours a day, in Ward Jackson Park, Seaton Park, Rossmere Park, Burn Valley Gardens and Summerhill Country Park.
The rules will come in to force from 1 April.
Cllr Sue Little said: "It's the anti-social behaviour aspects of the drinking that we're trying to enforce, it's when people start urinating all over the place, exposing themselves in front of families walking along the prom.
"That's not acceptable and that's the kind of behaviour that we're trying to stop in Seaton, we're a lovely family resort.
"It's the nuisance that the alcohol causes that residents in Seaton are wanting to stop, we had about 12 weeks of hell in Seaton with people urinating everywhere and exposing themselves, we don't want that in Seaton, we don't want that in Hartlepool."
Several councillors voiced concerns over the plans, with Cllr Tom Cassidy saying the ban "is nothing but a business killer for the hospitality sector".
Cllr Mike Young added: "We cannot come out of a pandemic and then suddenly be policing the population doubly.
"The businesses in that area, the tourism of this town requires a cosmopolitan approach, and - yes - families need to be invited, but there needs to be both a daytime and nighttime economy."
The Seaton Promenade PSPO was approved by four votes to three, while the order to ban drinking in parks was passed unanimously.
A separate Parks PSPO prohibiting riding skateboards, scooters and bicycles where they cause "annoyance, nuisance or damage" in the town's parks and other open spaces, was passed unanimously.
It will also prohibit camping and motorhomes, fishing in certain locations and at certain times, and unauthorised use of motorised vehicles in the locations.
Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence with a maximum fine of £1,000.
Offences can also be dealt with using a fixed penalty notice, which can be set at any value up to £100.
Council officers noted before someone can be prosecuted or issued with a fixed penalty notice for the breach of a PSPO they must first be warned and given the opportunity to correct their behaviour.
The rules do not apply to any area covered by a premises licence, such as beer gardens.
