AN OPEN-AIR alcohol ban could be introduced across the city to curb drunks causing mayhem.
Hull City Council is considering extending police powers beyond the city centre after drunks were caught wreaking havoc on the city's new £7m footbridge.
Businesses are also calling for action around Anlaby Road to deal with "Shaun Of The Dead" drunks outside their shops.
The hi-tech bridge over the River Hull is the only one of its kind in England allowing people to "ride" on it as it opens for river traffic.
But just days after its official opening, the bridge has become a magnet for street drinkers who are stripping off and jumping into the river to the distress of families and tourists visiting the city.
Now, police, who can already seize alcohol from drunks in the city centre, could be given extra powers to tackle drunks in other parts of the city.
Deputy council leader Daren Hale said: "My partner works near the bridge and she says some of the stuff going on there is quite incredible, including people stripping off and going swimming in the river.
"The bridge was always meant to be a visitor attraction but we were probably hoping for a very different kind of visitor."
Humberside Police are already stepping up patrols in the area because of the trouble.
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Another worker based near the bridge, who did not want to be named, said: "The police are down here quite a lot.
"There have always been problems with rough sleepers in the area but the bridge does seem to causing a few extra problems in term of antisocial behaviour."
City councillors are being asked to consider extending a designated zone covering the city centre which gives the police extra powers to confiscate alcohol from rowdy drinkers.
If agreed, the extension would cover the new bridge and a section of Anlaby Road in west Hull.
Councillor Hale said the seizure powers covering the city centre were also needed in Anlaby Road, between Hull Royal Infirmary and the flyover, after repeated complaints from businesses about street drunks on their doorsteps.
After witnessing the problem during a recent visit to a restaurant, he said the scenes reminded him of a zombie movie.
"It was like something out of Shaun Of The Dead," he said.
The new footbridge is aimed at improving access between the Old Town and the east bank of the river for pedestrians and cyclists.
Inspector Jane Biglin, of Humberside Police, said dedicated early- morning and late-night patrols in the area of the bridge had recently been introduced in a bid to crack down on unruly behaviour.
She said officers were working with the council's antisocial behaviour officials on the problem.
Insp Biglin said officers were also targeting retailers in the area known to be selling individual cans of high-strength alcohol.
The first no-booze zone was introduced around the war memorial in Paragon Street in late 2004.
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