Latest news with #ThanetCouncil
The Sun
25-07-2025
- The Sun
Yobs to be fined £100 after council crackdown on swearing in public
YOBS swearing in public can be fined £100 after a council introduced a law to stop 'foul language'. They are also banned from 'excreting bodily fluid', boozing in public and taking legal highs. 1 Thanet council in Kent said the rules apply to all public spaces in Margate, Ramsgate, Birchington-on-Sea and Broadstairs. A bid to bring in the restrictions last summer was halted after the Free Speech Union threatened to take legal action. On Thursday councillors approved the public space protection order. A council spokesman said: 'There was strong support, with a majority of respondents indicating agreement.' Cllr Heather Keen said: 'We've listened and these measures are designed to reassure residents and set clear expectations around acceptable public behaviour in Thanet. "It crucially provides us with the tools to intervene earlier which we hope will successfully prevent situations from escalating. "The overwhelming support from local people, businesses and the police during the consultation process is evidence that these measures are welcomed. "Every year our residents tell us feeling safe is a top priority. "I'm proud to say that we've listened and hope this serves as a reminder that antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated in Thanet."
ITV News
25-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Thanet Council threatens £100 fines for swearing in public after beach fights and town disorder
ITV Meridian's Tony Green reports from Ramsgate Fines of £100 for swearing in public are among measures that have been approved by a council in Kent as it attempts to crack down on public disorder. It follows a series of beach brawls and attacks on Thanet town centre. Councillors at Thanet Council have now approved a PSPO - a Public Spaces Protection Order. But the authority is being accused of exceeding its powers with the threatened fines for bad language, and critics include Kent's Police and Crime Commissioner. However, the leader of the council has called recent reporting on the order 'a mountain of nonsense' as they backed new plans to protect public spaces. At a cabinet meeting in Margate on Thursday evening, councillors complained of 'misleading' reporting about the new order. Labour councillor Heather Keen said: 'The importance of the PSPO, which has seven behaviours identified, has been overshadowed by the portrayal that Thanet is banning swearing. 'This is a disingenuous, inaccurate headline designed to grab attention. Let me be clear, Thanet is not banning swearing or preventing free speech. 'The reference to foul and abusive language only applies if it is causing harassment, alarm or distress to another person – not if it is casual swearing.' Cllr John Davis, Opposition leader, Thanet District Council (Con) An order was first brought in by Thanet in 2018, and similar orders exist in Canterbury and Dartford as well as elsewhere in the country, the meeting heard. Last summer, when the council attempted to renew and reword their PSPO, the proposal was rejected amid a threat of a legal challenge. They said that more work has been undertaken to ensure this is something their residents want. Within the report, the authors touch on concerns raised by Thanet residents, who said the current wording was too broad and may lead to young people and people from minority backgrounds being unfairly moved on or fined. There was also a concern that 'causing distress to others' could be used to target peaceful protests. Cllr Heather Keen, Cabinet Member for Communities at Thanet District Council, said: 'We've listened, and these measures are designed to reassure residents and set clear expectations around acceptable public behaviour in Thanet. "It crucially provides us with the tools to intervene earlier which we hope will successfully prevent situations from escalating. "The overwhelming support from local people, businesses and the police during the consultation process is evidence that these measures are welcomed. "Every year our residents tell us feeling safe is a top priority. "I'm proud to say that we've listened and hope this serves as a reminder that antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated in Thanet.'
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Bathing warning at beaches across Kent and Sussex
A pollution risk forecast has been issued for 12 beaches across Kent and Sussex by the Environment Agency. Thanet District Council said swimmers were "discouraged" from entering the water at West Bay in Westgate-on-Sea and Margate Fulsam Rock on Monday after heavy rain. Warnings are also in force in Kent at Tankerton, Herne Bay Central, Deal Castle, Dymchurch and East Sussex the public are advised not to swim at Hastings Pelham Beach, St Leonards and Bexhill, whilst advice has been issued at Worthing Beach House and Bognor Regis Aldwick. Thanet council said Monday's warning was as a result of heavy rain and the potential impact on water quality at these beaches. "It is not linked to the discharge of storm wastewater by Southern Water", which closed 14 beaches in Thanet on Saturday, a statement added. A total of nine of those beaches reopened on Sunday, with the final five reopening on Monday morning. The Environment Agency warning on Monday came from standard monitoring carried out throughout the bathing season.
Metro
23-06-2025
- Metro
Mass brawl on Broadstairs beach prompts locals to consider 'taking a stand'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This is the moment a brawl erupted on a Kent beach with two topless men trading blows while a baying crowd circles them. The video captured the brutes swinging at each other on the Broadstairs boardwalk as they were surrounded by dozens of screaming youths. Some of the crowd can be seen climbing on nearby beach huts to get a better view of the fight, while others took selfies and egged on the brawlers. Police arrived on the litter-strewn seafront once the fight had eventually dispersed. The onlooker who filmed the altercation wrote on social media that there was 'no sign of any law and order' in the area. 'Is it time for the locals to form a groups of volunteers to take matters into our own hands and get these f****** urchins dealt with,' he asked. 'The police just drive [around] in cars totally ineffective. 'We can't tolerate this b******* and if we don't make some kind of stand then people will stop coming here.' The fight, on June 21, came just a day after Kent Police announced it had implemented a Section 34 dispersal order in Broadstairs to 'disrupt antisocial behaviour'. The order gives police additional powers to instruct people to leave an area and anyone who returns risks being arrested. A spokesperson for Kent Police told Mail Online officers were called to a report of a disturbance involving approximately 50 people, shortly before 3pm. A 17-year-old boy was arrested and taken into custody. 'Later that day, the teenager was charged with assaulting a police officer and was bailed with conditions to attend Maidstone Youth Court at a later date.' In a press release online, the force said the dispersal order was put in place 'due to ongoing concerns relating to issues caused by a small minority of young people in some public areas, including the town centre and beaches. These have included under-age street drinking, fighting and reports of aggressive behaviour towards staff at shops.' Locals have been calling on Thanet Council and Kent Police to tackle a 'growing tide of antisocial abuse' in the Broadstairs area. More Trending A petition, with almost 5,000 signatures at the time of writing, says since the beginning of last week, the town had seen a 'surge in violent crime', including 'underage street drinking, fighting on the beaches and at at the train station, shoplifting, and vandalism'. It calls for enhanced police powers, extended dispersal zones throughout the summer months, stronger sanctions for repeat offenders and increased police patrols. One resident responded to the petition, writing: 'Local people don't expect this disgraceful behaviour. Broadstairs residents [deserve] better!' Another commented: 'Broadstairs will totally lose its reputation as a family resort.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: 'Bonkers' UK bus is 'world's rarest' and only runs on the fifth Saturday of the month MORE: One of Stonehenge's biggest mysteries has been 'solved' after 5,000 years MORE: The 'enchanting' UK town with five beaches that's only 58 minutes from London
