Residents across the city back the new measure that will be enforced soon.
Nottingham is the first UK city to issue a ban of this kind (Image: Getty)
A ban on certain face coverings will soon be enforced across a major UK city. Balaclavas and “skeleton masks” will be banned in Nottingham as part of what the police are calling a crime crackdown. The city is the first in the UK to impose such a restriction, with Nottingham City Council leader Neghat Khan urging that residents should be able to go about their lives “without feeling frightened or unsafe”.
Police and community protection officers in Nottingham will have the authority to demand that the face coverings be removed where they have reasonable grounds to believe they are being used to hide an individual’s identity for criminal or antisocial purposes. Those who refuse to comply with the rule could face a £70 on-the-spot fine, while prosecution carries a maximum penalty of £1,000.
Cllr Khan said: “We are taking decisive action and becoming one of the first cities in the country to introduce a restriction of this kind. This is not about telling people what they can wear or targeting those who have a genuine reason for covering their face.
“It is about giving authorised officers the power to act where a face covering is being used to help conceal a person’s identity in connection with crime or antisocial behaviour, or where it is worn in a manner that intimidates, harasses, alarms or distresses others.”
Over 90% of the more than 2,200 residents who responded to a public consultation backed the measure. However, it does not ban all face coverings. Exemptions have been made for religious, cultural, health, work, weather and personal safety purposes.
Officers on the ground will judge whether a covering is being worn for a legitimate reason.
The ban is part of the police’s crackdown on crime and anti-social behaviour (Image: Getty)
Data compiled by Nottinghamshire Police recorded upwards of 180 incidents in the city centre linked to face coverings or balaclavas in the year to June 2026.
The ban is part of Operation Reclaim, a multi-agency initiative tackling youth antisocial behaviour, illegal e-bikes, drug dealing, rough sleeping, weapon carrying and retail crime across the city centre.
Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “This restriction makes it easier for police and partners to stop crime and antisocial behaviour in its tracks by taking away the veil of anonymity that some people try to hide behind.”
Migrant taxi boat arrives at popular beach before nine men jump off and wade ashore
Children were playing a stone’s throw away as the migrants, who had travelled on a boat, arrived on the popular beach.
Spain: Migrant boat arrives at popular beach in Níjar
Sunseekers were left stunned as a group of migrants waded ashore at an idyllic beach in Spain. Shocking footage shows the nine men jumping from a ‘taxi boat’ yards from the shore, before making their way through the shallow waters and onto the beach while children play nearby.
The scenes were reportedly filmed at Playa de San José in Níjar, south-east Spain, on Saturday (September 6). The beach is in the heart of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. The coastline of Níjar, in Almería Province, is a popular arrival point for boats travelling from North Africa.
Children were playing nearby as the migrants made their way off a ‘taxi beach’ (Image: Jam Press)
Nine migrants got off the ‘taxi boat’ at Playa de San José in Níjar, south-east Spain (Image: Jam Press)
The incident came just a week after Spanish authorities rescued nine Algerian men from a boat around 41 miles off the coast.
The vessel departed from Oran, north-west Algeria, and had been adrift for 38 hours, according to reports.
Anger over illegal immigration reached a high point in Britain over the weekend.
The migrants reportedly arrived at the beach in south-east Spain on Saturday (September 6) (Image: Jam Press)
Crowds of masked men blocked road access to the Port of Dover in a “stop the boats” protest on Saturday.
This was followed by official vehicles being damaged and a handful of police officers being injured in a tense stand-off with anti-migrant protesters overnight on Sunday in Portsmouth.
Almería Province remains the main point of irregular entry along the Andalusian coastline.
Although figures for 2026 show a decline compared with the previous year, migrant landings and rescues have continued week after week.
During August, boats carrying more than 150 people in total reached or were intercepted along the Almería coast.
Local media reports that western Almería has also become a hotspot for an illegal trade in fake documents linked to immigration procedures.
Criminal networks are allegedly helping migrants obtain legal status using fake address registrations, sham rental agreements and bogus jobs.
Nearby towns including Roquetas de Mar, El Ejido and Vícar have reportedly become hubs for the trade.
Police investigations have uncovered hundreds of allegedly fraudulent documents and registrations.
In Roquetas de Mar, Operation “Tabula Rasa” led to 18 arrests and uncovered 188 fraudulent address registrations.
