The excitement is brewing on Tyneside with little more than a week to go until Newcastle United head to Wembley for the first time in over two decades.
Sunday, February 26 will see the Magpies face off against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup final at the iconic London stadium - their first time at the new venue which opened in 2007, eight years after Ruud Gullit's lads were beaten by Man United at the 1999 FA Cup Final. And they will be cheered on by a legion of supporters who have made the near 300-mile journey for the occasion.
If you're one of the thousands of lucky fans heading down to Wembley to watch history in the making, make sure you brush up on the local rules to avoid falling foul of the law - and making your trip an even more expensive one by landing a fine. Here's everything you need to know about the laws in place around Wembley that you will need to adhere to during your visit.
READ MORE: Pubs in Wembley and where to go for a pint at the Newcastle Carabao Cup final
There is a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) in place across the London borough of Brent, including the area around Wembley Stadium. Perhaps most importantly for football fans, the PSPO enforces a no-drinking policy on any street space in or around the stadium - meaning that alcohol can only be consumed in designated areas, such as pubs and fan zones.
The order also means that shops and off-licences around the stadium are banned from selling alcohol on match days. Enforcement officers will be operating in the area, and have the power to confiscate alcohol as well as hand out fines of up to £100 for anyone caught breaching this rule.
There will be a designated Newcastle Fan Zone in Arena Square, located to the west of the stadium, where supporters will be able to safely enjoy alcoholic drinks. The Fan Zone will be open from 1pm on the day and stop serving alcohol one hour before kick-off at 4:30pm. Supporters will need to present a valid stadium ticket to enter the area, which has a limited capacity.
There are several other regulations that you must adhere to when you're in the Wembley area or wider Brent. The other elements of the borough-wide PSPO are:
- Use of illegal drugs or psychoactive substances
- Littering (bottles, cans, packets, food, paper, chewing gum, cigarette butts, etc.)
- Littering (urination or defecation)
- Littering (spitting)
- Dog fouling
- Illegal trading (food or other items in the street)
- Use of megaphone or microphone with speaker
- Aggressive begging.
In addition to these rules, Brent Council has nine further regulations in place specifically for the area around Wembley Stadium. These are:
- Illegal trading of merchandise
- Illegal trading of tickets (ticket touting)
- Distribution of free literature
- Charity collectors
- Busking without consent
- Ambush marketing (including fly posting)
- Pyrotechnics including fireworks, flares or smoke emitters
- Obstruction of the public highway, preventing the free flow of person's movement
- Flying of drones.
If you are caught breaching any of these rules, you may be issued a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100. This will need to be paid within 14 days, otherwise you could be prosecuted for breaking the law and be slapped with a higher fine of up to £1,000.
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