From June 29, 2026, local authorities in England will have the power to issue fines of up to £500 for breaches of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs), including dog fouling and public drinking. The change comes under the Crime & Policing Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on April 29 and is being phased in.
John Roberts, Chief Services Officer of Kingdom Local Authority Support, said the maximum Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) for PSPO breaches will rise from £100 to £500. “This brings PSPO-related offences more in line with other environmental enforcement powers, such as littering,” he explained. The increase is not automatic but gives councils discretion to set higher penalties where appropriate.
PSPOs, introduced under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, allow councils to prohibit specific behaviours in designated public areas. Common restrictions include dog fouling, street drinking, and littering. Breaching a PSPO is a criminal offence.
Roberts urged the public to check whether a PSPO is in effect in their area, particularly in town centres and university-residential areas. “If you feel you’ve been wrongly issued an FPN, general practice allows you to appeal in the High Court within six weeks,” he added.
The Crime & Policing Act 2026 also grants police new powers, including entering premises without a warrant to recover actively tracked stolen items, accessing cloud accounts from seized devices, and testing detainees for Class B and C drugs linked to violent crime. Senior officers can now restrict protests based on cumulative disruption from multiple groups.
