PEACEFUL law-abiding people will have nothing to fear from revised Public Spaces Protection Orders due to be introduced in Weymouth, Portland and West Dorset.

Councillors have been told that most continue what is already in place over anti-social behaviour and public drinking although there are additional measures to tackle starting fires in some woods and heathland and camping on some public beaches.

Dorset Council Licensing and community safety manager John Newcombe told councillors at a meeting on Monday that groups of friends or family who gathered in public parks, or other open spaces, to share a glass of wine were not the intended targets of the rules, unless they were being anti social.

He said the legislation only existed should it be needed in extreme cases – such as aggressive begging of for those camping on certain public beaches who refused to move on when asked to do so.

Mr Newcombe said fears that beach fishermen, or families using a tent on the beach for the day, would be caught by the camping laws were unfounded.

He also told councillors that although there was provision to tackle aggressive begging it was a last resort measure and officers would always try persuasion and to offer help and advice in the first instance.

Cllr Maria Roe said she could not support the aggressive begging rules because it penalised poor and vulnerable people.

She said that the trend had been for councils to drop the provision and could not understand why Dorset wanted to maintain the measure.

Several of the areas covered by the PSPOs have led for calls for other places to also be included – with a plea for wider public drinking and anti-social behaviour orders to include additional parts of Portland area, Bridport and West Bay and for a greater area of Dorset heath and woodland to be included in the rules about starting fires, including Dewlands Common in the Verwood area, where Cllr Toni Coombs said there had been many incidents of fires and vandalism.

Several of those who took part in a consultation had asked for more beaches to be included – with all of the suggestions likely to be considered for future orders.

A breach of a PSPO is a criminal offence dealt with by a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100 or prosecution in the Magistrates Court. Persistent offenders may have a Criminal Behaviour Order attached to a guilty verdict in court. PSPO’s are not intended to tackle youth nuisance because fixed penalty notices cannot be issued to persons under the age of 18.