A 56-YEAR-OLD woman who ignored a dispersal order has been given a six-month conditional discharge.

Marie Taylor, of Turl Street, appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court where she pleaded guilty to contravening a direction by a constable under the Anti-social Behaviour Act.

Taylor was found drinking sherry with friends at the bus station just after 9am on May 1.

Town centre beat manager PC Andy Alexander said after the case that drunks are making the bus station are no-go area.

He says he will apply for Asbos banning those responsible from being found drunk in any public place in the country.

Tim Hamick, prosecuting, said: "The bus station was busy with people coming and going."

PC Alexander moved Taylor and her two friends on, but less than an hour later they were in nearby Carfax Street with another bottle of alcohol.

"They were arrested for being in the area and not having moved out of the area," Mr Hamick said.

The two men Taylor was drinking with are due to go on trial in July. They deny ignoring the order.

David Gostling, defending Taylor, said she was a street drinker with mental health problems.

"She is a really rather sad person causing no problems, no trouble," he said. "She moved away but didn't move far enough.

"She has got problems and I think she realises she has got to do something about it."

District Judge Simon Cooper disagreed that Taylor was not causing problems and gave her a six-month conditional discharge and ordered her to pay £46 court costs.

"You shouldn't be doing this," he told her. "It upsets people, it distresses them to see you drinking around the town centre like this.

"You didn't move on and you didn't stop drinking and that's what you've got to do."

PC Alexander said afterwards: "Our plans are to look at Asbos to address the needs of the community and that may well be something as stringent as not drinking in public in the whole country or as little as not coming into the town centre.

"It's got bad in recent months where the drinkers take over quite a big chunk of the bus station by the toilets and they have effectively made it a bit of a no-go area."