Drug dealing is so rife in Hounslow town centre that police are seeking tough new powers to combat the scourge.

Officers want to introduce what is known as a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which would prohibit certain activities within the area.

PSPOs, which were introduced in 2014, have been described as the geographical equivalent of an ASBO.

Rather than banning an individual from carrying out specified activities, they prohibit anyone from doing so within a defined area.

Those caught flouting the ban are liable to be prosecuted, in the same way offenders can be convicted for breaching the terms of an ASBO.

It is not clear at this stage which activities police would seek to outlaw in the town centre, since drug dealing is of course already a criminal offence. Nor is it known how large an area the proposed PSPO would cover.

Police already using dispersal orders

At a recent council meeting , a police report stated that officers were working closely with Hounslow Council and local businesses "with a view to implementing a PSPO to reduce the amount of drug dealing offences occurring in and around the High Street".

Police have recently implemented a number of dispersal orders in Hounslow town centre, enabling officers to move people on from prescribed areas if they are causing or are viewed as likely to cause antisocial behaviour.

These orders, often used to curb trouble at weekends, can be approved by any police officer with the rank of inspector or above but can only remain in place for 48 hours.

The police report said a number of people had been issued with dispersal notices, ordering them to leave the area in question, and one was recently arrested after failing to comply.

Address searched in investigation into drugs importation

It also revealed how officers had recently searched an address in Denbigh Road, Hounslow, believed to be connected to drugs importation, where they had found "numerous controlled substances".

getwestlondon has contacted Hounslow Police and Hounslow Council, but neither would comment further on the plans for a PSPO.

To introduce a PSPO, which can remain in place for up to three years, a local authority must show the activities to be banned are blighting the lives of those using the area in question.

Local authorities have previously attempted to introduce such orders to force dog owners to keep their pets on leads and to ban loud cars in certain areas.

Some critics have spoken out against the use of PSPOs, claiming they pose a danger to civil liberties.