OXFORD City Council plans to ban excessive noise, smoke and unauthorised mooring of boats from the city's waterways using 'Public Spaces Protection Orders' (PSPOs).
These rules are underpinned by laws introduced in 2014 by the Government, and allow councils to ban activities they believe have a detrimental effect on public life.
20 orders
This is just one of 20 PSPOs being introduced by Oxford City Council that include sleeping rough, begging and drunkenness, Keith Gudgin tells us.
The PSPO covering the waterways in the city includes both the Oxford Canal and the Thames, banning people from mooring boats without permission, erecting structures, obstructing towpaths, leaving rubbish and even regulating the number of dogs that can be walked on the towpath at any one time.
Opposition
However a group of boaters have formed PSPNo, in opposition to the orders, stating that the orders would 'criminalise normal and necessary boating activities', with a spokesman telling councillors in Oxford Town Hall that the orders where 'short-sighted, unworkable and likely to increase problems on Oxford's waterways'.
The orders have been criticised by civil liberties group Liberty.