FAMILIES are at their “wits’ end” over antisocial behaviour in Leigh with trouble on a “nightly basis” and throughout weekends, it has been claimed.

Southend Council’s place scrutiny committee has supported plans to renew a public space protection order (PSPO) covering Leigh and Chalkwell, but some councillors have pleaded for the order to be expanded.

Currently, the 2021 protection order gives community safety wardens the power to move people on or fine yobs for a range of antisocial behaviour, including urination, defecation, spitting or littering within the area and can result in fines for offender.

However Daniel Cowan, leader of the Labour Group, called for the order to be widened because of antisocial behaviour hotspots at Two Tree Island – specifically surrounding the skate park – as well as the Broadway and Elms areas.

He said: “Residents around there are frequently telling us that they are at their wits’ end with some of the behaviour that’s happening there on a nightly basis and say it is much worse at the weekends.”

Carole Mulroney, Lib Dem councillor for Leigh ward didn’t support the idea of expansion despite revealing a church had been targeted by vandals who threw a lump of masonry through a stained glass window.

She said: “This PSPO actually goes up the hill and covers Leigh Library gardens because we had a particular problem there which has been severely curtailed.

“We haven’t had anywhere near as many problems as we had previously.

“I am loathe to have a blanket PSPO because there is a balance between telling people from outside it’s a safe place to come because we’ve got this PSPO but there is a downside to that in that people can say we had to put a blanket PSPO over the whole town.”

James Courtenay, Tory councillor responsible for public protection, acknowledged the power to move people on due to the order has been effective.

He said: “We just want to tell people to stop misbehaving and this allows that power for when some youngsters say ‘what are you going to do if I don’t’. When you’ve got this in place you can reply with ‘you can get £100 fine or we’re going to take you to court or we’ll get the police down here’. Having those powers means people displaying antisocial behaviour realise there is action you can take.”