Veiled threat to arrest comic Kane if he swears in the street

Russell Kane has been warned he could be arrested if he goes to Rochdale to swear.

The council plans to introduce a £100 ban for obscene language in a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.

And after ranting about the proposals in an online video, the comedian tweeted that he was going to 'stop off @RochdaleCouncil town hall to shout obscenities.'

However, the council did not see the funny side, tweeting back a letter warning Kane: 'If you're intending to come to Rochdale for the sole purpose of swearing in public, please be aware that although there is currently no Public Space Protection Order in place that would give us the power to deal with this, it may constitute a public order offence under existing legislation that could attract the attention of our local police officers.'

In his expletive-laden video, Kane called the council 'fucking twats' for their proposal, which he believed was a class issue.

'It's to do with imposing fines on poor people because rich people find their behaviour distasteful,' he said. 'You will not see this ban put in place for rich people - I can't see Oxfordshire County Council; bringing this in. It's an outrage.'

Rochdale council leader Richard Farnell said: 'There have been instances, particularly with people who have been drinking, who have been shouting and swearing aggressively at shoppers.'

Although the police can deal with such incidents under existing legislation, Farnell added: 'We want to give council officers the powers to help them with incidents like this'.

Campaigners have hit back, claiming the move curbs the right to freedom of expression.

Last year, Salford council introduced a similar swearing ban, prompting comic Mark Thomas to assemble an ad-hoc choir on the quayside to sing foul-mouthed songs.

At the time he said: 'The idea that the council can control what comes out of people's mouths is nonsense. The idea that guys in hi-vis jackets on the minimum wage can tell us what we can and can't say is nonsense. It undermines democracy because it takes away our human rights.'

It is also feared the bans will disproportionally target the homeless, who would be ill-equipped to pay any fines.

Published: 13 Mar 2017