HOURS after this drug addict got York's first antisocial behaviour order for begging, the Evening Press caught him at it again on the city's streets.

When we found Jeffrey Ward, 28, asking passers-by for cash, he told us he had no choice but to continue begging to feed the £30-a-day heroin habit he has had for three years.

The next time the police catch up with Ward, he has been warned he faces jail.

But he told us he welcomed the prospect, saying prison was the only place he could get the help he needs to break free of the drug. He even said he was willing to go voluntarily.

York magistrates yesterday made Ward, of Clementhorpe, the subject of North Yorkshire's first nuisance begging antisocial behaviour order (ASBO).

The interim order bans Ward from begging or harassing others anywhere in England and Wales. Ward, who has 28 begging convictions spanning the last 12 months, faces a prison sentence of up to five years if caught.

Reacting to news of the ASBO, and of a suspended eviction order handed to a nuisance neighbour in York, City of York Council leader Steve Galloway said discouraging beggars and removing "disruptive elements" from the streets was a priority in the council's fight to give pride back to York.

But he said: "Despite the best efforts of the council and the Safer York Partnership there seems to be a black hole in the process.

"Those who are persistent offenders, cause antisocial behaviour, beg or are nuisance neighbours do not seem to face a penalty which serves as a deterrent or which takes them out of the local community."

Less than four hours after Ward appeared at court yesterday an Evening Press reporter found him asking passers-by for spare change near York Railway Station.

He said he could not face "cold turkey", despite the court warning.

"It's easy for the magistrates to say I can't beg, but how am I supposed to get the money for drugs - thieve, steal or rob?" he said.

Presiding magistrate Margaret Bond said the interim order was necessary to protect the public, and witnesses before a full hearing in June.

Jane Mowat, of the Safer York Partnership, said it was important to "strike a balance" between punishment and support.

Updated: 10:30 Thursday, March 25, 2004