Darlington bird feeding ban as part of council crackdown
Stricter measures to curb rising antisocial behaviour and feeding pigeons in a town centre are to come into force in July.Darlington Borough Council has updated its Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which allows the issuing of fines to people for being abusive or threatening.The order, granted at a council meeting on Tuesday, is designed to give officers powers to tackle offenders without needing to arrest them.The new restrictions will also bring in a public bird feeding ban, following public safety and health concerns from residents and businesses.
The move follows a 125 percent increase in youth-related incidents reported to Cleveland Police, when comparing data from 2023/24 to 2024/25.Town centre officers have reported a rise in people deliberately riding towards members of the public before veering off at the last moment, causing fear of injury and distress. Other problems are being caused by bikers, skateboarders and scooter riders performing stunts and riding recklessly on roads and in pedestrian areas, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.In addition, people are continuing to feed the "substantial bird population in the town centre", despite signs being put up warning them not to, thereby "contributing to multiple issues for the council, residents and businesses to manage."
Adaptations to local buildings and birds of prey being flown have also been used as a deterrent against the pigeons. Meanwhile, the new PSPO, which covers all of the borough, will provide additional powers to combat begging, side waste and stray dogs.A council report stated: "A significant amount of support is in place for those individuals who find themselves homeless and in need of support."Officers will routinely make referrals or signpost these individuals to these services."
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
22 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Farage has ‘doubts' Lucy Letby killed babies
Nigel Farage has said he has 'doubts' over Lucy Letby's murder convictions. The Reform UK leader is the latest high-profile politician to raise concerns over the case of the nurse who was jailed for life following the deaths of seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Mr Farage was responding to comments made by the former health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, who held the post when Letby carried out her crimes. Mr Hunt said this week that new evidence 'raises serious and credible questions' about her conviction. He said that questions around the safety of her conviction were not conspiracy theories from 'far-flung reaches of the internet' and said they needed addressing 'as a matter of urgency'. Speaking on GB News, Mr Farage said that he too was starting to have 'doubts' about the case. 'I have a feeling, actually, Jeremy Hunt might be right about the Lucy Letby case. I'm just beginning to get more and more doubts about that issue,' he said. Letby, 35, from Herefordshire, was convicted for murdering seven babies and attempting to kill seven others while working at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015 and 2016. After she was sentenced to 15 life terms in prison, the Thirlwall Inquiry was launched to discover how she was able to commit the crimes. A number of experts have since challenged the way evidence was presented to the jury during her trial, and a panel of world-leading experts have reviewed the medical notes and concluded that there were no malicious acts. Appearing at the inquiry earlier this year, Mr Hunt apologised to the families of Letby's victims and said her crimes had been committed 'on [his] watch'. Letby's case is being considered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which looks into potential miscarriages of justice, although police and the Crown Prosecution Service insist she was fairly convicted. The CCRC is considering evidence that poor medical care and natural causes were the reasons for the babies' deaths and collapses. In April, more than 400 healthcare workers, including about 200 nurses, called for a review of Letby's case. They claimed her 'unsafe' conviction had triggered a 'climate of fear' in the NHS and that they have been 'gagged' and prevented from speaking out on her behalf by their trusts. In 2024, Letby lost two bids to challenge her convictions at the Court of Appeal – in May for seven murders and seven attempted murders, and in October for the attempted murder of a baby girl, of which she was convicted by a different jury at a retrial. Cheshire Constabulary is continuing a review of deaths and non-fatal collapses of babies at the neonatal units of the Countess of Chester and Liverpool Women's Hospital during Letby's time as a nurse from 2012 to 2016. A separate investigation by the force into allegations of corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter at the Countess of Chester Hospital is continuing.
BBC News
34 minutes ago
- BBC News
People in Devon and Cornwall told to hand in ninja swords
People who own ninja swords are being told to hand them in before the end of and Cornwall Police said it was part of the national ninja sword surrender and compensation scheme, which will run from 1 to 31 are being offered the chance to surrender them at local police stations and in some cases they may be able to claim Ch Insp Steve Fleetwood, force lead for knife crime, said: "We need to continue to work together to prevent and reduce knife crime and keep our communities safe." The majority of ninja swords have a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches, with a straight cutting edge and pointed can be claimed if a sword is handed in during the surrender period and a claim submitted at a designated police station. To be eligible for compensation, a person must have been the lawful owner of the sword on or before 25 March 2025 and be able to provide proof such as an invoice or the surrender period comes to an end, ninja swords will be prohibited. People will still be able to surrender items to the police, but will not be able to claim compensation. 'Continue to educate' Knife surrender bins are now permanently situated in local police stations across the region so that the public can surrender knives safely and discreetly at any Fleetwood said: "Knife crime is not a major issue in our region, however we take it very seriously and will continue to educate the public and aim to remove knife crime from the streets."Possession of banned weapons, even if just in a drawer or attic at home, can mean a prison sentence of more than four years."
Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Seven Iranians charged after London embassy brawl
Seven men have been charged after two people were injured during a protest outside the Iranian embassy in London, Scotland Yard has said. Officers from the Metropolitan Police responded to reports of a fight in Princes Gate in Knightsbridge shortly after 9.50am on Friday. Two men involved in an altercation outside the embassy, aged 37 and 39, were taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Eight people have now been arrested in connection with the incident, including the 39-year-old. Seven of those arrested were charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent on Saturday, the Metropolitan Police said. The men, who are all Iranian nationals, have been remanded into custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday. Those charged are: Mohammad Nadiri, 30, of Central Street, Islington; Pourrezaei Vahid, 41, of Hamlet Square, Cricklewood; Armin Hasanlov, 35, of Prescot Road, Liverpool; Esmaeil Balouchy, 50, of Brent Lea, Brentford; Saeed Hosseingholipoor, 34, of Wilkins Close, Mitcham; Farzin Suleimani, 31, of Selsey Road, Birmingham; Aref Yazdan Parast, 31, of Worton Road, Isleworth. The Met has previously said the incident is thought to have involved protesters 'pro and anti-Iranian regime'. Police have imposed conditions to stop protesters from gathering in the area until 1pm on Sunday. Footage shared on social media appeared to show two men lying on the ground in a fenced-off section of the road. One man, who was shirtless, had blood covering his nose and mouth, while the other man lay motionless clutching his left leg and ankle, with police officers attending both individuals. A number of national embassies are located on or near Princes Gate, including the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
