Wardens to curb town antisocial behaviour

ADDITIONAL community wardens are being deployed in Weston-super-Mare town centre in the run-up to Christmas in a bid to crackdown on antisocial behaviour.

North Somerset Council has deployed the two extra wardens following concerns about antisocial behaviour and street drinking at the Italian Gardens in the High Street.

It follows an incident at the gardens last week when a police officer was bitten by a woman while attending reports of fighting and street drinking.

In recent weeks, homeless people have set up tents in the Italian Gardens.

The group has now moved on and are believed to be camping in nearby Grove Park, which is also owned by the council.

Weston councillor and town mayor Councillor Mark Canniford said the additional wardens had been deployed after local businesses raised concern about increasing levels of antisocial behaviour at the Italian Gardens.

Mr Canniford said: “We have agreed, using the additional Covid funding we have received, to deploy additional street wardens to the area around the Italian Gardens.

“Local businesses had raised concerns about the recent levels of anti social behaviour in the area.

“The idea of the wardens is to prevent any behaviour of this kind and keep an extra eye on the area.

“We need residents, visitors and businesses to be confident and feel safe when using the area.

“The wardens are a way of building that confidence and keeping an eye on things.”

Mr Canniford said that the people in tents would be allowed to remain at Grove Park in the short term while the council sought accommodation for them.

“The council understands the complexities of these people’s lives,” he said. “All those who have found themselves homeless previously had accommodation provided by the council in the town.

“They have either left of their own accord or been asked to leave due to causing damage.

“We are trying to re-engage with the individuals to see if there are other solutions we can offer to them.”