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Ey-up, mardy Rochdale council has dropped plans for ban on swearing. Thank f$ck!

You pillocks, that was never goin' t'werk in this Lanky town

The northern council of Rochdale has scrapped its plan to fine people £100 for swearing in the town.

Despite being the home of Co-operation, Gracie Fields and Lisa Stansfield, business in Rochdale's town centre has gone downhill in more recent years, and the council said it proposed the blue-word ban as part of efforts to bring people back.

Council leader Richard Farnell said back in March, when the ban was proposed, that it wanted to clamp down on "antisocial n'er-do-wells who drunkenly shout and swear and harangue shoppers in our town centre".

But it was slammed by residents, who clearly thought the proposal was a crock of shit and that the council were being right wazzocks.

Comedian Russell Kane even proposed coming to the town just to "shout obscenities", to which the council suggested he also pop along to the various tourist attractions the Dale is famed for.

Meanwhile, human rights group Liberty said the ban was too vaguely defined and would "curb the rights and freedoms" of residents.

It seems the Greater Manchester Police also felt they had better things to do in the town had reservations about the ban. The Beeb reported that the cops said it was unenforceable – and that existing legislation already dealt with people flinging out abusive swears.

So, instead of shouting itself blue in the face trying to convince people of the bollocks ban, the council has dropped the proposal from its wider Public Spaces Protection Order.

The council has also scrapped proposals to ban under-18s from the town centre between 11pm and 6am, which – if your correspondent's experience is anything to go by – would have effectively halved the bar population at the same time.

But it's still pushing for a ban on the use of skateboards and scooters, "anti-social parking" and – more controversially – on begging in the street, which Liberty said back in March would criminalise the most vulnerable people.

The proposals will be voted on at a council meeting tonight.

And if they don't like the outcome, at least residents can tell the council they think it's fucking shit.

Up the Dale! ®

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