ENJOYING a glass of wine with a picnic on the beach would be banned under a proposed crackdown on public drinking in East Lothian.
The by-laws, which are currently out for public consultation, would ban the consumption of alcohol at popular beaches such as Yellowcraigs, John Muir Country Park and Aberlady Bay.
However, some local residents fear the ban could affect popular ev
ents and even drive tourists away from the area.
The new laws would also cover Dirleton, West Barnes, the John Muir Country Park, Gullane, Longniddry, North Berwick and its coastal area, Ormiston, Prestonpans, Musselburgh, Tranent and Wallyford.
Many East Lothian town centres already have public drinking bans, but the new measures would widen the legislation to include whole towns and seafront areas.
Anyone caught breaking the by-laws would face a fine of up to £500.
Stuart Smith, a member of North Berwick Community Council, said he hoped the police would be able to use common sense to enforce the law. "Personally I do have a slight problem with this covering a beach like Yellowcraigs, as it is used by a lot of people for barbecues in the summer months, and most of them will be in the evenings, and will not cause anyone a problem," he said.
"I can see why we need the by-law, although I have heard there are concerns from the police as to how exactly they will be able to enforce it over such a widespread area.
"My hope is that they will use common sense, so that the new measures allow them to deal with troublemakers, but will not force them to break up a small family outings because someone has a bottle of wine."
The North Berwick ban, including Yellowcraigs, would only apply from 6pm-6am Friday to Sunday, but areas like John Muir Country Park would see a permanent ban, with Hogmanay the only exception.
Adam Sneddon, a member of Dunbar Community Council, said: "There was some concern about the idea of banning drinking at John Muir Country Park, because it is used by a lot of people for barbecues and picnics, but I think most people felt we either had the law or we didn't – you can't go around breaking it up, saying it applies to one place but not another.
"So yes, this could cause a few problems, although I don't think it will stop families going to the beach to enjoy a day out."
Licensing officer PC David Baillie admitted officers do have a power of discretion, but warned the by-laws, if brought in, would be enforced.
"The aim of these laws is to give us another tool to help combat antisocial behaviour," he said. An East Lothian Council spokeswoman said: "These new by-law proposals have been drawn up following new Scottish Government guidance regarding the public drinking of alcohol.
"The areas covered have been widened to take into account local community concerns regarding alcohol misuse. The plans are currently out for consultation, and we would encourage all residents to look at the plans and comment on them."
The full article contains 524 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
