Masked men were still seen on the streets of Nottingham, England, on Tuesday despite a new ban on balaclavas coming into force in the city. Nottingham is the first major city in the country to introduce the restrictions, which are aimed at tackling crime and anti-social behaviour typically carried out by young men in masks.
Reporters watched cyclists ride through Nottingham's Market Square with their faces covered, and saw other men wearing balaclavas in broad daylight near the city's train station. Food delivery drivers were also seen apparently flouting the order.
Police say drug dealers and people carrying weapons use balaclavas to hide their identity. Masked individuals have been seen throwing fireworks from roofs and intimidating members of the public, while a gang of balaclava-clad teenagers left a pregnant shop owner in fear when they raided her business.
How the ban works
Under the new rules, police and council officers can require someone to remove a face covering if their identity is being concealed to commit a crime or behave anti-socially. Those who refuse can face £70 on-the-spot fines, have the covering confiscated, and be referred to an immediate justice programme involving community work such as litter picking or cleaning graffiti. Repeat offenders could be issued a criminal behaviour order, potentially banning them from the city centre indefinitely.
Safer city partnership officers were seen patrolling Nottingham on Tuesday, but only police officers and Community Protection Officers have the power to actually enforce the ban.
Residents welcome the ban but doubt enforcement
Retired research scientist David Rhodes, 86, welcomed the ban after being struck by a cyclist wearing a balaclava in a pedestrianised area outside Nottingham's Victoria Centre earlier this year. "They are really frightening, terrifying really," he said. "But it will be very difficult to enforce, the police are very stretched already. They need to make an example of someone to show they are taking it seriously."
Ian Hands, from West Bridgford, said: "I am all for it. It is very intimidating. The problem is how are they going to do it? We never see any police anyway. They are not going to have extra balaclava police are they?"
Val Richmond, 73, who travels into the city to shop, said: "I agree with it. It is very intimidating. I have seen people with their faces covered lots of times, why are they hiding their faces if they have nothing to hide? But I rarely see any police so I am not sure how the ban will work."
Shop raided by masked teenagers
Shop owner Hannah Byrne, 35, was pregnant and alone in June last year when a group of four or five balaclava-clad teenagers entered Knit, the wool shop she runs with her husband, stealing £50 worth of stock and ruining the window display. Her husband, Dan Byrne, 37, said the group returned the following day and stood outside the shop. "I would see that as intimidation," he said. "You can't paint that as any other thing."
Mr Byrne said he does not see how the new restrictions will be enforced "when there's no police in town anyway," adding that community support officers "don't have the power, the police does... and they're not scared of them, because they know they can walk off."
Nottinghamshire Police said officers investigated the incident at Knit and a 13-year-old boy was referred to the Youth Justice Service and given a community resolution with interventions designed to address his offending behaviour and reduce the risk of further offences, a force spokesperson said.
Council and police response
The ban was introduced by Nottingham City Council after a consultation drew more than 2,200 responses, with over 90 per cent supporting action to tackle the issue. Ethan Radford, the council's deputy leader, questioned why anyone would need to wear a balaclava in the city centre. "It's not a mountain," he said. "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?" He added that people should feel safe walking around without wondering whether a masked person has covered their face for "nefarious reasons."
Superintendent Chris Pearson, Nottinghamshire Police's city commander, said those wearing balaclavas are predominantly young people, normally young males, and are often involved in drug dealing or carrying weapons. "We saw some particularly nasty incidents in Nottingham city centre last year involving weapons where people had their faces covered," he said, citing persistent anti-social behaviour including masked men throwing objects from roofs at the public. "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."
Scale of the problem and limits of the ban
Nottinghamshire Police identified more than 180 city centre incidents involving face coverings or balaclavas between June 2025 and June 2026. Around 75 per cent of those incidents took place in locations including Old Market Square, Clumber Street and the area around the Victoria Centre.
The measure is not a blanket ban on face coverings. It can only be enforced when officers reasonably believe a covering is being used in connection with crime, anti-social behaviour or intimidating conduct, and exemptions protect people who wear coverings for religious, health, medical or work reasons.
Similar measures elsewhere
Wolverhampton City Council introduced similar powers in 2024 under a public spaces protection order to tackle anti-social behaviour in its city centre, giving West Midlands Police authority to request the removal of face coverings where there are no reasonable grounds to wear them and they are being used to disguise identity. Stafford Borough Council has approved plans, due to take effect in December, requiring face coverings to be removed where they are linked to anti-social behaviour or crime.
Reform UK leader Sir Nigel Farage called for full face coverings, including those worn for religious reasons, to be banned in public, after masked anti-illegal migrant protesters gathered in Dover earlier this month.
