The licensing committee at Havant Borough Council yesterday gave the go-ahead to introduce fixed penalties for people who refuse to hand over alcohol to police if they are drinking in public.

The move comes more than a year after 11 areas were designated booze-free zones, including Havant town centre and the Greywell and Park Parade precincts. There are hopes that the latest idea will dramatically reduce the amount of drink-fuelled crime which puts Havant at the top of the table in the area for this sort of problem.

But police have promised they will use the new powers only to stop nuisance behaviour.

Inspector Darren Murphy said: 'If you look at Havant Park, where there are very often sporting events, we would not expect to go and seize alcohol if people are acting quite normally. If they are just watching a cricket match then that is fine.

'The main thing is that we can confiscate alcohol from people who are causing a problem.'

A ban on booze in public has proved a big success in Portsmouth, Fareham and Gosport and it is hoped it will bring down the rate of crime in Havant.

The borough is the 14th worst for alcohol-related sexual offences out of 354 local authorities.

And it is ranked 45th worst for the number of violent crimes linked to booze.

At yesterday's meeting councillors voted unanimously to bring in the ban.

Purbrook councillor David Farrow said: 'It does seem a little bit Draconian but I think the time has come because our residents all suffer from it.

'We have drunkenness, especially from the younger population, and they start out drinking in one area and go on a drinking march.

'Our residents have to fork out thousands each year when fencing and rubbish bins are taken away and burnt and our play areas desecrated.'