PLANS to bring in a byelaw to ban urinating in the streets of one North Yorkshire town have moved a step closer, following a meeting of Selby District Council.

The council agreed at a meeting last week to introduce the byelaw which would punish anyone found urinating in public places with a fine of up to £500.

Council leader Mark Crane said the byelaw would benefit the police as well as the community.

“Introducing this byelaw would help the police deal with antisocial behaviour on our streets and also ensure the district is kept clean,” he said.

“This supports two of the council’s long-term aims which are to keep communities safe and to protect the local environment,” he added.

The byelaw will be advertised publicly before it goes to the Department for Communities and Local Government for confirmation, before a start date can be fixed.

Inspector Chris Witty is in charge of policing in the Selby town area and said he welcomed the move.

He said: “North Yorkshire Police requested that the council consider making this byelaw and we are pleased to see that it is one step closer to coming into effect.

“We are committed to dealing with antisocial behaviour in all its forms and we are proactively working to ensure we have all the weapons we need at our disposal to do this.

“Our message is clear, if you engage in antisocial behaviour there will be consequences.”

A similar byelaw is already in use in neighbouring areas, such as East Yorkshire and Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.