‘Is this seriously the country we want?’ Bev Turner fumes at Labour-run council over controversial swearing in street order

Speaking on GB News, Bev furiously hit out at the ruling which means any of the Kent coastal region’s 130,000 residents, or visitors, could be fined for “using language or behaviour causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any other person”.

“It just makes me want to go up to Thanet and swear. Walk up and down the street swearing”, she said.

“It’s literally policing language. I don’t like swearing and I certainly wouldn’t do it in front of children.

“But seriously, is this the country we want to be living in?

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“We need more speech in order to educate children about what is or isn’t acceptable, not so much a clamping down on what people say.”

Co-host Andrew Pierce waded in: “Who is going to enforce it? How is it going to be enforced? Where is the money going to go?”

Amanda Jenner, a child behaviour expert, joined Andrew and Bev on GB News to argue in favour of the ruling due to how children on the streets often pick up words “like sponges”.

She said: “You hear it all the time in the streets and children pick these words up.

“In an awkward position, they come out and say it. I don’t know how they will police this but it might be a good thing.

“Children think it’s the norm to say these words. I think it is a good idea but I don’t know how they will enforce it.”

A Thanet District Council spokesman said: “We know that making Thanet a safer and cleaner place to live in, work in or visit is a top priority for the residents of Thanet, and this new PSPO is a positive step towards this ambition.

“The combined PSPO can tackle an expanded range of negative behaviours. The first step will be an education and behaviour-change approach, but if this is not successful, enforcement can follow.

“The PSPO as currently drafted is still going through the council’s governance processes and will be subject to further review.”