You can now be fined £100 for drinking alcohol in a park or on the street in Altrincham

If you’re planning to have a drink in Altrincham, make sure it’s in a pub, bar or restaurant.

That’s the message from Trafford Council, which has sought to limit the amount of socialising taking place in the town centre by introducing a new Public Spaces Protection Order.

The order means that you can be fined £100 if you’re caught drinking alcohol in the town centre – in public places like parks and streets – if you’re not in the vicinity of a pub, bar or restaurant.

Trafford said it was designed to ensure that people can socialise “in a responsible and safe manner to stop the spread of coronavirus”.

Trafford recently saw a spike in its infection rate, to 33.7 per 100,000 for the week ending August 1st, which contributed to the imposition of a new localised lockdown in Greater Manchester.

The latest figures, for the week ending August 8th, show that number has now reduced to 23.6.