A policeman was kicked in the head by a woman drinker on the first day of Brighton and Hove's ban on street boozing.

The woman had been arrested for being drunk and disorderly in Norfolk Square, probably the city's worst hotspot for drink-related trouble.

Police said she was being transported to a custody centre when she became verbally abusive and violent, landing a kick on an officer in the front of the vehicle.

The officer was not seriously hurt and the woman was arrested for assault.

A second drinker was arrested later after he urinated in public in Norfolk Square.

Residents in the area have complained for years how the square had become a Mecca for drinkers and drug addicts.

Brighton and Hove City Council's ban, the first of its kind in England and Wales, means anyone caught drinking in public and acting in an anti-social manner can be arrested and could face a maximum £500 fine.

Police have powers to confiscate opened cans or bottles of booze from offenders and pour the contents down drains. Anyone refusing to hand over the drink could be arrested.

Nine drink containers, mostly cans of lager, were poured away yesterday.

Sergeant Richard Siggs is head of a special drink squad comprising eight police officers and three community support officers. He said that yesterday, the first day the ban had been enforced, had been successful.

The ban was introduced a month ago but police adopted a policy of informing and educating before they applied the law and made arrests.

Mr Siggs said: "That period of grace was extremely worthwhile and has paid off. All the drinkers were fully aware of our new powers and, apart from one or two incidents, there was no serious or violent backlash."

He said the message was getting over to the drinkers to either drink at home or places like the Equinox Centre in the Old Steine, Brighton.

Gill Mitchell, the city council's environment councillor, said she did not expect problems from street drinking to be solved overnight: "Yesterday was day one ... we expect this work to be long term.

"People should now know that anti-social drinking on the streets of Brighton and Hove is no longer tolerated.

"We are taking a holistic approach, offering treatments, more outreach workers and employing more people at the Equinox centre."

Plain clothed police spotters were used to watch drinkers when no uniformed officers were around.

Inspector Paul Smith said that drinkers might move to other public locations but they would never know when spotters were about.

He said: "They have got the message. We mean business."

Residents, traders, police and council chiefs are to discuss possible solutions to problems of violence and intimidation in St James's Street, Brighton.

Kim Lucas, owner of the Candy Bar, has called an urgent meeting tomorrow to discuss crime concerns.

The meeting follows an unprovoked attack on 22-year-old Italian tourist Francesco Antonini in the street last month.

Mr Antonini's neck needed 11 stitches after he was slashed in what may have been a homophobic attack.

Members of the St James's Street Action Group have raised concerns about the high proportion of violent homophobic crimes in the area.

But Ms Lucas added: "It affects everyone, whether they're working here or shopping. The street can be very frightening. Every day you see people being threatened."

The meeting is at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church from 3pm.

Tuesday September 9, 2003