Anti Social Behaviour 'Donaghadee Pier'

Anti-Social behaviour by Anglers on 'Donaghadee Pier' has been reported to the Newtownards Police. It is alleged that anglers using the pier are drinking alcohol and using 'Foul and Abusive' language. There have been a number reports in recent weeks. It should be noted that the 'whole' of the pier area is a designated 'No Alcohol' area, and is sign-posted as such. There is a maximum penalty of £500 for drinking and a similar amount for littering. However an instant FP of £50 will be imposed for minor litter offences.
This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and in a worse case scenario, fishing from the pier could be banned. There will be regular patrols by the Ards Anti-Social Behaviour team (yours truly) and offenders will be prosecuted.
This behaviour gives all Sea-Anglers (myself included) a very bad name. Any further information would be greatly appreciated. Steven ASB team 02891 824044

These people are drinkers with a fishing rod rather than anglers with drink. Banning angling will just mean they drink and abuse people without rods in their hands. There's a similar problem in Dun Laoghaire during the summer

I experienced a group last year that come to stay in the area a lot over the summer months. They where fine with me but there was more drink than tackle and the shouting,yelling and (very loud)swearing between them was a lot more than banter in my book. One of them had even got to the stage of falling asleep on the steps.

Keep up the good work and lets hope it gets sorted out.

I have to agree with mickmick above, these people are just yobs. Get yourself down the pier the next sunny day and book them all . That will sicken some of them, and for others that come back for more, give them more then. A few fines may make some people think twice.

excellent stuff. finally something will be done about those wee scroats we fish that spot quite often and i had to call the cops myself last year as 3 of them were trying to kick the door of the lighthouse open. 3 hours later and there was still no sign of the cops. i ended up having to slap one of them and tell them to clear off myself as they were smashing their empty bottles off the light house and got showered with glass. but it has to be said that the vast majority of them are local youths who will sit and drink where people are fishing. and most people only walked as far down the harbour to where the lifeboat is moored then turned and walked away due to the behaviour and foul language. so from a distance you would think that they are there amongst the rods all cast out, so they must be anglers. but thats not the case. they just happen to be drinking where people are fishing, so we all get tarred with the same brush i'll keep that number handy for the summer to see if there's any difference in the response that the psni had last year. i assume that you (stevie) are scotchman? and with that number being a landline what time dose it operate within?

I'm with Al on this, Just because you have a fishing rod in your hand doesn't make you an angler.

There was a very good letter about this in the Co Down Spectator (newspaper) last week. I guess that is why the police have become "interested".

I was down there on Easter Tuesday with my son. We left early because of the "anti-social" behaviour.

I hope the authorities realise that if they ban angling from the pier the drinking and bad behaviour will carry on but there'll be no-one to report it as its only us "proper" anglers who would have any interest in doing so!!!


Anyway, Steve, good luck! I suspect I'll be bumping into you during the summer.

have to agree with the other posts it this is not the behavior of the regular anglers
like most others on here i found donaghadee was always a safe pier to bring the kids as antisocial behavior was never an issue even if you stayed till the wee hours but this has got worse over the last few years but as said it is local youths not anglers
i hope this will be sorted out as many a nights fishing has been spoilt by this kind of behavior and as usual the wrong people will lose out

good luck

I really hope that fishing on the pier will not be banned. I would fish here on a regular basis during the winter months late in the evening. I have never had any trouble or even seen the yobs. If they get alot of fines they will soon move on i hope and not riun it for the poeple that really enjoy the pier