A Cheltenham man has been banned from parts of the town centre after his violent behaviour left staff at local businesses too scared to come to work.

Patrick Learmount, aged 44 and of Griffiths Avenue, Cheltenham, was given an Anti-Social Behaviour Injunction (ASBI) at Cheltenham and Gloucester County Court last month.

He was served the order on Friday (March 1) following numerous incidents which saw him engage in violence, intimidation and threats to harm.

Leaders of the Business Improvement District, traders and employees of local businesses located in the town centre, reported Learmount's behaviour to the authorities. The case was brought against Learmount by Solace, a joint team of officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary and Cheltenham Borough Council.

Solace officer Joe Mullis said: "Learmount has purposefully targeted local people to the point where traders and staff of local businesses were too frightened to turn up for work due to his violent and threatening conduct.

"By curtailing his behaviour, the ASBI will provide respite to those traders, employees and the local community. This will send out the right message to him that Solace, the police, the Business Improvement District and the staff of local businesses will not tolerate such anti-social conduct."

Sergeant Steven Benbow, of Cheltenham Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "The work carried out in obtaining this ASBI is jointly credited to Solace and the Neighbourhood Police Team.

"The fact that such orders carry with them the power of arrest goes to show that these types of incident should not and will not be tolerated within the community.

"We will continue to work towards making Cheltenham a pleasant environment free from such anti-social behaviour."

The civil injunction order imposed by the courts forbids Learmount from:

• Contacting named individuals in the town centre;

• Using or threatening to use violence towards any person within Cheltenham;

• Entering the Promenade, Cheltenham, at any time.

Learmount faces being arrested should he break any part of the injunction between now and February 5, 2025.

Anyone witnessing Learmount breaching his ASBI is asked to contact the police on 101 or the Solace team on 01452 396396.