A city accused of having Britain's worst high street is considering a ban on people wearing balaclavas to help win back shoppers deterred by 'intimidating' youngsters. 

The troubled centre of Newport has been highlighted as having the UK's largest amount of empty stores – with one in five vacant last year.

And officials fear anti-social yobs in 'intimidating' face coverings are further putting people off visiting the Welsh city.

Conservative councillor Matthew Evans says 'tougher action' is needed to 'improve the lives of residents and traders'.

He said his proposed ban on face coverings would include 'exemptions for religious reasons' but said many residents were 'anxious' about people in balaclavas.

He said this was 'not intended to be an attack on the human rights of young people' but would target 'those who use face coverings when they rob people and deal drugs in our city centre'.

The city council is also looking to take further measures on begging and public drinking as part of a Public Space Protection Order.

Cllr Dimitri Batrouni, who leads the Labour-controlled local authority, said he wished for the ban to be extended to the rest of the city and not just the centre, saying: 'It's actually a big issue.'

Newport was named the city with the 'worst' high street and most empty units in the UK after a study by the Centre for Cities think-tank last year.

It has since lost a series of stores from its city centre in recent months including Marks and Spencer and River Island and been dubbed a 'ghost town' by locals.

Home Office figures last year also said that 159,000-population Newport had the highest crime rate in the country, with 121 offences committed for every 1,000 people.

The mooted balaclava ban, recommended by councillors and backed in a vote on September 29, will now be considered further by officials ahead of renewing the city centre's Public Space Protection Order.

Nottingham last month became the first major city to introduce a so-called 'balaclava ban' aimed at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour typically carried out by young men in masks.

Yet the Daily Mail reported how there appeared to be scant impact on the East Midlands city's streets, with masked men seen still roaming the streets on the day the restrictions came into force.

Police say drug dealers and those carrying weapons use balaclavas to hide their identities. 

Masked men have been seen throwing fireworks from roofs and intimidating members of the public while a gang of balaclava-clad teenagers left a lone pregnant woman in fear when they raided her shop. 

The restrictions mean police and council officers can now require people to remove a face covering where their identity is being concealed to commit crime or behave anti-socially.

The powers include £70 on-the-spot fines, confiscation of face coverings and referrals to an immediate justice programme requiring community work such as litter picking or cleaning graffiti.

Those who continue to flout the rules could be issued with a criminal behaviour order, which could ban them from the city centre indefinitely.

The balaclava ban was welcomed by shoppers but the Daily Mail saw several food delivery drivers seemingly flouting the order.

Several safer city partnership officers were seen but they are not able to enforce the sanctions.

Only police officers and Community Protection Officers can stop people in masks.

The balaclava ban was introduced by Nottingham City Council after it received responses from more than 2,200 people, with more than 90 per cent of them supporting action to tackle the issue. 

Ethan Radford, deputy leader of the council, questioned the need for anyone to wear one, saying: 'It's the city centre - it's not a mountain.

'Unless you're taking part in high-octane adventure sports or in cold weather conditions, why on earth do you need to wear a balaclava?

'I think people should feel safe to be able to walk around and not have to look over their shoulder, wondering if the person who's covering their face has covered it for nefarious reasons.'

Superintendent Chris Pearson, Nottinghamshire Police city commander, said: 'They are predominantly very young people, normally young males wearing balaclavas, and sadly, in a lot of circumstances, they are involved in drug dealing, carrying weapons.

'We saw some particularly nasty incidents in Nottingham city centre last year involving weapons where people had their faces covered.

'And then there's the other side of it, which is that persistent antisocial behaviour, and I can only imagine what it feels like for a member of the public to be enjoying the city centre, everything that it's got to offer, and then seeing a masked male throwing things off a roof at them.

'That is really intimidating, isn't it? It would scare you to the point that you don't want to come into Nottingham city and that cannot happen.'

Evidence gathered by Nottinghamshire Police identified more than 180 city centre incidents involving face coverings or balaclavas between June 2025 and June 2026.

The ban can only be enforced when officers reasonably believe a face covering is being used in connection with crime, anti-social behaviour or intimidating conduct.

Exemptions will protect people who wear the coverings for legitimate reasons, including religious, health, medical or work needs.

Wolverhampton City Council previously introduced powers governing face coverings in 2024, also under a public spaces protection order, to help tackle antisocial behaviour in the city centre.

That granted West Midlands Police authority to request people to remove face coverings if they have no reasonable grounds to wear them and people are using them to purposely disguise their identity.

Stafford Borough Council approved plans, due to be introduced this December, requiring face coverings to be removed where they are being used in connection with anti-social behaviour or crime.