Swearing banned by one in five councils in England and Wales, finds report on ‘busybody’ fines

One in five local councils have banned swearing under new “busybody” orders, up from one in 20 councils in 2022. A new report by the Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life has found that public spaces protection orders (PSPOs) – originally intended to tackle serious anti-social behaviour – are being used by councils in England and Wales to criminalise a wide range of everyday activities, including standing in groups, shouting and picking up stones. “Councils have introduced a swathe of bizarre bans that will turn ordinary people into unwitting criminals,” said Josie Appleton, the director of the group. “Councils have used PSPOs – which allow them to ban any activity they judge to have a ‘detrimental effect on the quality of life’ – to introduce over 1,000 new laws, each of which can contain dozens of separate restrictions. “These orders are not subject to democratic or legal scrutiny: they can be brought through by a single unelected council officer, and do not require public consultation or full council assent.” PSPO penalties are at an all-time high, with 25,000 fines issued in 2025. Photograph: Canterbury City Council The research, based on freedom of information requests submitted to 319 councils, found that 271 (91%) of the 297 councils who responded had at least one PSPO in place, including 13 councils placing restrictions on feeding birds – a measure that led to a woman being arrested in Harrow this year. …