On the pitch England may not be performing to their potential but borough bosses are keen to ensure town centre revellers remain on their best behaviour as the World Cup reaches its half-way point.
Last week police officers, fire and safety crews and council officials met at the top-of-the-town to raise awareness and offer advice on alcohol abuse. The fear is that people celebrating – or drowning their sorrows – could have long term consequences.
Police have upped their patrols during the football festival and are urging neighbours to be vigilant in the face of anti-social behaviour.
Cllr Clive Sanders, Cabinet Member for Communities, Sport and Leisure, said: “We are doing everything that we can to help people to enjoy themselves sensibly. But the message is that there will be consequences if they don’t and we will support the police in cracking down on drunkenness, littering and anti-social behaviour.”
And Basingstoke and Deane District Commander, Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley, said: “We want people to be able to watch World Cup matches in pubs and clubs across the district in a safe and enjoyable way. We have extra police officers out on patrol during England games to ensure that people stay safe and don’t have their evening ruined by drunken violence.”
The campaign is linked to Hampshire NHS’s ‘Rethinking your World Cup Drinking’ initiative.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue’s Station Manager Clyde Evans added: “Our focus is on the dangers of drink driving the morning after, to make people aware that it takes time for alcohol to leave their system and not be too quick to jump into their vehicles – the World Cup is a good opportunity to raise awareness of these issues.”
