Masked men in Nottingham defy face covering ban by taking to streets

A ban on face coverings has come into force in Nottingham (Picture: Tom Maddick/SWNS)

Masked men on bikes have been spotted on Nottingham’s streets despite a ban on balaclavas and face coverings coming into force.

Several men were seen with their faces covered while riding through the city’s Market Square on Tuesday, just hours after the new rules were introduced.

Nottingham has become the first major UK city to introduce specific powers targeting face coverings in a bid to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

However, pictures from today have already thrown into question the effectiveness of how the rules will be enforced.

The regulations allow police and council Community Protection Officers to order people to remove a face covering if they reasonably believe it is being used to conceal someone’s identity in connection with crime, anti-social behaviour or intimidating behaviour.