Drinking on the streets of Calderdale could be a thing of the past by Christmas.

Police could soon be ordering revellers who stumble out of pubs with a drink to hand over their booze or face arrest.

A ban is already in place in Halifax town centre under a by-law, but Brighouse councillor Colin Stout spearheaded a campaign to use new anti-social laws to extend it to other trouble spots, such as Brighouse.

"People won't be able to drink on the pavement outside pubs and walk about with bottles and glasses, which could be used as weapons. We are trying to encourage pubs to create beer gardens instead," he said.

"We have got to make sure that the police have the funding and resources needed to enforce the ban. It should be in place by Christmas and all the town centres will have CCTV by then.

"The police will be able to use the cameras to spot people wandering about with alcohol and be able to despatch officers straight away."

He said the ban was important because of longer drinking hours due to begin later in the year.

Councillors want to bring in the new powers to curb booze-fuelled violence and anti-social behaviour on the district's streets.

The existing by-law which already bans street drinking in Halifax town centre will expire in just under a year, giving the Council the chance to make a district-wide ban with its new powers.

Calderdale Council's head of housing and community support Mark Thompson said the restricted area could simply push nuisance street drinking to the outskirts of the town centre.

"There is a considerable body of evidence that nuisance public drinking has a significant effect in other parts of Calderdale," he said.

"There is no intention that this should lead to a comprehensive ban on drinking in the open air."

All the more built-up areas of Calderdale, including Brighouse, Hipperholme and Shelf, would be targeted by police in the single order.

It already has the support of the licensed trade, neighbourhood policing teams, the probation service and those working to combat alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.

The ban would mean police confiscating drinks and ordering drinkers off the streets. If anyone refused they could face an on-the-spot fine or arrest.

Councillors have agreed to go ahead with public consultation and the order could be in place by Christmas. Its success will be evaluated within six months.