Tuesday, November 5

Britain’s worst town for drunken women revealed as police say they’re as bad as blokes


 

 

Geordie lasses top a shameful league table of Britain’s most drunk women. They have been punished with more £80 on-the-spot fines for nuisance public boozing than females in any other region, police figures uncovered by the Sunday People reveal.

An alarming total of 4,629 were dished out by Northumbria Police, which patrols Newcastle, in six years. Second worst-hit was Lancashire, which includes the hen party mecca Blackpool, with 3,596 of the fines.

In third place with 3,410 of the cash penalties was Merseyside, where Liverpool city centre’s array of bars and clubs lures thousands of party girls every weekend.

All top three regions were well ahead of fourth-placed London, despite having far smaller populations than the capital.

The rise in anti-social drunkenness by young women has been blamed on cheap booze in bars and pre-loading with ¬supermarket drink before hitting town.

One police officer said: “Women now can be just as bad as blokes, if not worse, for late-night drink-fuelled antics.”

Altogether 34,381 boozed-up women across England and Wales were handed instant fines totalling £2.75million in 2009 to 2014, the latest period for which figures are available. More than 100 of the ¬penalties, introduced in 2004, were given to women each week.

Of the 474 dished out by Northumbria Police in 2014 – far more than one a day – 46 went to teenagers.

The best-behaved women were in Dyfed-Powys, where officers issued 89 of the fines in the six-year period.

England’s best county was Bedfordshire with 126, according to statistics released by the 44 police forces in England and Wales under Freedom of Information laws.

The officer added: “Only a few years ago women in a group might have acted as a ¬calming influence on a party out for the night.

“Now in some towns a group of girls on a serious drinking session can be worse than the men. They can get into all sorts of trouble and end up injuring themselves, losing or damaging their own property – or worse.

“A lot of the problem is down to cheap drink, with women often getting drunk from alcohol they consume at home before they even hit the town centre. People laugh at the pictures of half-naked women lying across pavements paralytic from booze. But it isn’t funny and can end up having really serious consequences for the person concerned.”

Jackie Ballard, chief executive of charity Alcohol Concern, said: “ Binge drinking in -particular can put women at risk.

“Society needs to challenge the idea that drinking to excess equals fun. To do that we need to crack down on cheap, strong booze and its constant availability and promotion, as well as encourage pubs and clubs to offer some interesting non-alcoholic alternatives.”

Northumbria Police said: “We cover a wide area with busy cities and towns that have a vibrant night-time economy.

“We encourage people to behave responsibly on a night out and when this doesn’t happen we will take appropriate action. Quite often fixed-penalty notices can be given as an intervention to prevent the person causing more serious issues by continuing to drink alcohol.

“They can avoid the person having to go to court for what may be a one-off incident. They help to send a warning that we want people to enjoy their night but disorderly behaviour is not welcomed. Door staff have also received training to spot triggers of vulnerability in women on nights out. These include how much alcohol they’ve had, their age and whether they’ve lost contact with friends.”