DISORDERLY drinkers could face a dry future if licensees in the Okehampton area decide to impose a blanket ban on offenders.

An initiative launched this week by the recently-formed Okehampton and District Licensed Traders' Association is designed to bar trouble-makers from all their premises.

Members are determined to ensure unreasonable behaviour will mean last orders for a minority of trouble-makers who upset the pleasant atmosphere for the majority of their customers.

Chairman of the association and landlord of the Plymouth Inn Geoff Hoather said at a meeting this week they had 100 per cent support from licensees in the town.

Twelve have joined the scheme so far — including landlords at Exbourne, Sticklepath and Bridestowe.

'We are hoping to encourage some of the clubs like the Royal British Legion and the rugby club to join. We want to encourage as many licensees as possible — and that includes clubs and off-licenses as well as traditional pubs,' he said.

Mr Hoather said the association wanted to get over the fact that if someone is banned from one member's pub they face the possibility of being banned from every other pub in the association.

'It will hopefully be a deterrent. People will know that if they do something serious they will not be able to get a drink in town or within a seven-mile radius of the town.'

He stressed that the blanket ban was meant to be preventative rather than clamping down on an existing problem.

'But there are more and more people coming into town. Okehampton is growing and there will be the potential for more incidents of bad behaviour because there will be more people walking about having a few beers.'

Mr Hoather said most incidents were late at night and should not put respectable people off coming in for a drink or a meal.

'We want this to be a deterrent — and so do the police,' he said.

The association believes the threat of a blanket ban for bad behaviour will make people think twice about being disorderly. There will also be a ban on anyone over the age of 18 who is known to be buying alcohol for anyone under 18.

Mr Hoather said they had based their policy on similar successful ones operating in other towns such as Tavistock.

They anticipate more licensees joining up to make the district a complete no-go area for banned drinkers.

Secretary of the association is Pam Wilson, of the Red Lion, Exbourne, and vice-chairman is Frank Ward from the Fox and Hounds, Bridestowe.

Association treasurer David Hinds, new landlord of the Fountain Hotel in East Street, Okehampton, said there were already some people who had been barred from pubs, so the system worked.

He said: 'We are not frightened to bar people. We don't want their money because they put other people off.

'We want to ensure that people have some confidence that when they come into town they can go to any pub and certain individuals will not be in any of them. That has got to be good.

'There are just a few rotten apples — and every town has got them.'

PC Keith James, the area licensing officer, said the police support any initiative by town associations.

'We support any organisation or partnership that will tackle the problem of alcohol-related crime or disorder,' he said.