Page:Public Order Act 1986.pdf/31

Sch. 1

public service vehicle has the same meaning as in the 1981 c. 14.Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981.”.

Fireworks etc.

3. The following shall be inserted after section 2 (offences in connection with alcohol, containers etc. at sports grounds)—

“Fireworks etc.

2A.—(1) A person is guilty of an offence if he has an article or substance to which this section applies in his possession—

(a) at any time during the period of a designated sporting event when he is in any area of a designated sports ground from which the event may be directly viewed, or

(b) while entering or trying to enter a designated sports ground at any time during the period of a designated sporting event at the ground.

(2) It is a defence for the accused to prove that he had possession with lawful authority.

(3) This section applies to any article or substance whose main purpose is the emission of a flare for purposes of illuminating or signalling (as opposed to igniting or heating) or the emission of smoke or a visible gas; and in particular it applies to distress flares, fog signals, and pellets and capsules intended to be used as fumigators or for testing pipes, but not to matches, cigarette lighters or heaters.

(4) This section also applies to any article which is a firework.”.

Licensing etc.

4. The following shall be inserted after section 5—

“Private facilities for viewing events.

5A.—(1) In relation to a room in a designated sports ground—

(a) from which designated sporting events may be directly viewed, and

(b) to which the general public are not admitted,

sections 2(1)(a) and 3(1)(a) of this Act have effect with the substitution for the reference to the period of a designated sporting event of a reference to the restricted period defined below.

(2) Subject to any order under subsection (3) below, the restricted period of a designated sporting event for the purposes of this section is the period beginning 15 minutes before the start of the event or (if earlier) 15 minutes before the time at which it is advertised to start and ending 15 minutes after the end of the event, but—

(a) where an event advertised to start at a particular time on a particular day is postponed to a later