Police introduce another Dispersal Zone in Formby which will cover Mischief Night but not Halloween

Merseyside Police have introduced another Dispersal Zone in the Duke Street park area of Formby today (Friday 29th October) in response to continued reports of anti-social behaviour in the area.

This is the third week running that a Dispersal Zone has been put in place. Youths were seen throwing bricks at cars and launching fireworks at people and then running into Duke Street Park to get away.

The order runs from today at 4pm until 3.59pm on Sunday 31st October. Officers will be in the area to provide a visible presence and deal with any incidents.

The Dispersal Zone covers the area of Long Lane Footpath, Church Road, Liverpool Road, Altcar Lane, Hoggs Hill Lane, the Railway line, Kirklake Road, Woodlands Road, Wicks Lane and Freshfield Road.

The order comes under Section 35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014, which gives police officers and police community support traffic officers powers to direct people they suspect are causing or likely to cause crime, nuisance or anti-social behaviour to members of the public to leave a designated area and not return for up to 48 hours.

Under the legislation, officers have the power to seize any item used in the commission of anti-social behaviour.

If someone has previously been told to leave the area by an officer but then returns, an offence would be committed, which they may ultimately be arrested for.

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can pass any information on anti-social behaviour via our social media desk @MerPolCC on Twitter or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crowd.in/Q2Hzhh.

You can also follow @MerpolNthSefton on Twitter and Facebook for updates and advice.