Nottingham’s new city-centre face-covering restriction has come into force, allowing police and community-protection officers to order people to uncover their faces in specified circumstances.
The measure applies where officers reasonably believe a covering is being used to conceal someone’s identity during crime or anti-social behaviour, or in a way that intimidates, harasses, alarms or distresses others.
Refusing an instruction to remove the covering can result in a £70 fixed penalty. Court fines can reach £1,000.
The restriction is not a general ban on covering the face.
Nottinghamshire Police and Nottingham City Council explicitly exempt coverings worn for legitimate religious or cultural reasons.
That means wearing a niqab does not itself give officers grounds to require a woman to uncover her face.
The policy follows more than 180 city-centre incidents involving face coverings identified by police and the council in the year to June 2026.
More than 90% of approximately 2,200 respondents to a public consultation supported action.
The restriction came into force on September 15.
Sources
- Nottinghamshire Police – Face-covering restrictions take effect September 15
- Nottinghamshire Police – Religious and cultural exemptions
- Nottingham City Council – Nottingham introduces face-covering restriction
- The Independent – Nottingham face-covering enforcement details
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