People could be banned from the town center as the Chester Races May Festival takes place

People could be banned from Chester city center this weekend as a huge police crackdown coincides with the May Festival at Chester Racecourse.

Drug dogs and extra police officers have been deployed as thousands of racegoers descend on Chester for the three-day festival.

This aims to help tackle any crime, ensure the safety of members of the public and racegoers and improve the race day experience for everyone. A dispersal order will also be in place from 10am today (Thursday 9 May) until 4am on Friday (10 May) and from 10am on Friday until 10am Sunday (May 12).

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The dispersal orders will allow officers to ban anyone from the town for up to 48 hours to prevent disorder – reports Cheshire Live. As well as the dispersal orders, there will be a police presence both before and after the meetings to deal with any anti-social behavior that may arise.

Inspector James Wilson said: “The races are expected to bring thousands of visitors to the town this week and we hope everyone enjoys their time here. With this in mind we are grateful to our partners at Chester Racecourse who are providing drug dogs which will be deployed in the city center to help keep people safe.

“There will also be an increased police presence in the area as well as dispersal orders in place. These orders are an additional tactical option which allows us to tackle anti-social behavior head-on. I would urge residents and businesses to continue to report any problems related to antisocial behavior”.