Shouting and stroking ponies outlawed by rural councils as antisocial behaviour

"The Manifesto Club, a leading civil liberties group, said swathes of new public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) have been introduced or extended by local authorities, criminalising activities and behaviours under the banner of managing antisocial behaviour or environmental harm. It means the English countryside is being transformed into a patchwork of prohibitions, they say, with traditional countryside pursuits being clamped down on."

"PSPOs were meant to target activities harming local quality of life but they're increasingly used as a blanket prohibition to criminalise activities and behaviour that no reasonable person would consider antisocial, said Josie Appleton, director of the Manifesto Club. Some local authorities have banned shouting in the middle of absolutely nowhere, she added. While shouting might be annoying, how else are you meant to respond if someone's in danger?"

"In the last year alone, councils have introduced PSPOs that ban shouting in the middle of the countryside, urination in designated sea areas across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and the possession of any object that could pose a fire risk in the Peak District. Open water swimming has been criminalised in Salford and parts of Somerset. Pitching tents or sleeping on beaches has been outlawed by multiple councils."

Shouting, leaving spectacles in the sun and stroking a pony are among rural activities outlawed by councils under the banner of managing antisocial behaviour this summer. Swathes of new or extended public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) criminalise activities and behaviours framed as environmental harm or antisocial conduct. Examples include bans on dawn and dusk angling, mandatory permits for metal detecting, and prohibitions on shouting, open-water swimming, urination in designated sea areas, and possession of objects that could pose fire risks. Multiple councils have outlawed pitching tents or sleeping on beaches. Calls exist for a rules-based access system with a comprehensive code reflecting countryside use and clear limits on irresponsible behaviour.

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