The orders are drafted and approved by councils and are allowed under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which was introduced as part of efforts by the Conservative-led coalition government to devolve powers to local authorities and create a “big society”.

Civil liberties campaigners have warned they are part of a creeping “preventive state”, which can stifle freedom of expression and rights to congregate. Swearing is banned by a dozen councils and gathering in groups is banned in some areas controlled by nine councils.

“The idea that the council or police can fine you for swearing is crazy,” said Josie Appleton, the director of the Manifesto Club, which campaigns against PSPOs. “We’re not at school. It is our language.”

Lara ten Caten, a lawyer at the civil liberties campaign group Liberty, said: “PSPOs are blunt powers that councils are deploying with impunity, without regard to the wellbeing or rights of their residents.

“If you become homeless, your local council should be trying to offer support and help, not victimise you. Councils need to stop using their powers to sweep problems under the carpet, and PSPOs should be scrapped.”

Officials argue the orders reduce strain on public services by prohibiting behaviour such as public drunkenness, improve social harmony by reducing complaints about antisocial behaviour from residents, and tackle nuisances including dog mess.

The 10 successful projects range from county-wide and whole cities programmes, to projects targeting specific neighbourhoods. Each successful bid clearly identified their local problems and outlined how innovative community-based approaches would deal with them. They also had to demonstrate how their projects would be sustainable beyond the two years of the programame.

The areas are: Bury, Greater Manchester , Chelmsford, Essex , Cornwall , County Durham , Lincoln, , Maidstone, Kent, Moseley, Birmingham, Newcastle, Shropshire , Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

It is good to see that a number of rural places are involved in these pilots  and it will be interesting to see if they achieve what they have set out to.