Glastonbury's long-awaited antisocial behaviour crackdown is on shaky ground before it has even launched, with police warning that fines will fall flat because many offenders cannot pay them.

A new public space protection order is being drawn up by Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Somerset Council and the Safer Somerset Partnership. It would allow officers to issue fines for street drinking, antisocial behaviour and other activity affecting the town centre.

But senior officers told councillors the whole scheme risks falling apart if rushed, openly admitting that previous attempts to use similar powers had collapsed because the people being fined simply could not pay.

One senior officer warned the old approach had been a "blunt instrument", adding: "We've had a 'toothless tiger' situation where we've issued warnings to people who would never be able to pay the fines."

Councillor Ewan Cameron has been pushing for the PSPO to be in force by 1 May to support traders as the tourist season begins. He told a scrutiny meeting that businesses want action months earlier, saying: "The general feeling from the business community in Glastonbury is that the PSPO needs to be in place by Beltane – that is, May 1 – but preferably by April 1."

But officers pushed back, warning that fast-tracking the order could backfire. Claire Stewart from the Safer Somerset Partnership said Somerset had been slow to introduce PSPOs precisely because earlier attempts could not be enforced. She said: "We might have had a PSPO, but officers were going around issuing tickets which then couldn't be enforced."

Lucy Macready, Somerset Council's strategic manager for community safety, said more areas across the county are now asking for the same measures, stretching resources even further. She added: "If we're just applying the PSPO to the same people all the time, and they're just refusing to pay the fines, then it won't work."

Officers say they are moving as quickly as they can, but warn that unless Glastonbury's PSPO is fully enforceable, the town risks ending up with another system that looks tough on paper but achieves little on the ground.

(With reporting by LDRS)

More local stories:

• Glastonbury Tor housing fight overturned as inspector approves 24 new homes
• Former Street nursery could be turned into two homes under new plans

Sign up to your nearest Nub News newsletter | Shepton Mallet | Glastonbury — Get the top stories from across the area every Friday.