TOUGH new legislation and tactics have been brought into force by police in Ledbury to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder.

The Herefordshire market town and neighbouring Ross-on-Wye are the first in the county to be issued with temporary banning orders called Section 27 notices.

Police officers on patrol in Ledbury are now carrying the notices around with them together with associated maps.

Anyone being given a Section 27 must leave a designated area for as long as they are told to, up to a maximum of 48 hours. They must also leave the area by "the most appropriate and direct route".

The area a person is temporarily banned from is explained by the policeman with the use of a map.

Even a technically innocent, sober person' must leave an area if they are handed a Section 27.

Under the terms of the Violent Crime Reduction Act failure to comply could lead to the person being arrested and a facing a maximum fine of £2,500.

A police officer issuing someone with a notice must believe there were "reasonable grounds" to expect that a person's continued presence in an area would "contribute to the occurence, repetition and continuance of alcohol-related crime or disorder".

Ledbury police inspector Allan Dattani said: "The individual may not have been consuming alcohol.

"For example, a gang of youths might hang around town, not drinking themselves but getting into arguments as people come out of pubs. They may be looking for trouble."

Section 27 notices were first handed out in Ledbury during the Christmas period and Insp Dattani has promised that they will continue to be used.

Police statistics for Ledbury in the four weeks leading up to Christmas show that 11 notices were handed out and there were also three fixed penalty notices for disorder, each with an £80 fine. There were 28 stop searches, one warning was given for the possession of cannabis and police twice confiscated alcohol.