IT would seem rather far-fetched to imagine that winos and drunks, banned from the centre of Bradford, would hop on a train en masse to congregate at Ilkley's bandstand on the Grove.

For one thing, the train service is so bad all the drunks would likely end up spending most of the day at Forster Square Station.

However, there is a serious point being made that banning drinking from the city centre will not solve a problem, just move it somewhere else.

The same problem was encountered by police who mounted road blocks around Ilkley in a bid to deter burglars from entering the area. The burglars just went somewhere else to ply their nefarious trade, resulting in headaches for residents of North Yorkshire and Leeds.

Every civilised society has its share of people who for one reason or another like to spend the day in the open air drinking cheap alcohol and causing problems.

All the money in the world spent on detoxification units and after-care services for alcoholics would merely reduce the problem, not make is disappear.

But because some people are bent on making a nuisance of themselves and upsetting other people, others who want to enjoy a drink at a caf table on the pavement, or a glass or two of wine at a picnic in the park should not be criminalised as well.

There should be enough police in town and city centres to patrol the streets and make sure anti-social behaviour often associated with drinking is not tolerated.

Wholesale and blanket bans just impose unnecessary restrictions on law-abiding citizens.