A man with a drink problem agreed to an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) banning him from Sutton town centre, saying it would help him turn his life around.

Lyndon Boyd Welsh was given the ASBO at Croydon Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 4, after he pleaded guilty to theft of a bottle of aftershave from Boots, in Sutton High Street.

The 49-year-old, of Avondale Road, South Croydon, received a conditional discharge for 12 months for the offence.

At the same hearing Boyd supported a police application for an ASBO banning him from Sutton town centre and surrounding roads, including Sutton station, and from carrying an open container of alcohol in a public place.

Boyd agreed to the ASBO because he said it would help him to turn his life around and stop him drinking in the High Street - a designated no-drinking zone - and from meeting old associates whose influence could lead him into poor behaviour.

Welsh has a history of theft, street drinking, begging and public disorder in the High Street and train station stretching over many years.

The purpose of his ASBO is to prevent harassment, alarm and distress to members of the community.