Cheap alcohol deals in Jesmond bars are responsible for increases in anti-social behaviour during the student months in Jesmond, claims the chair of the Jesmond Residents Association. 

Local bars offer £2 Tuesdays deals, where students can purchase pints and spirits for £2 a drink with a valid student ID card. It allows students to drink large amounts of alcohol for cheap prices on Tuesdays. 

Kathleen Cunningham, who was chair of the Jesmond Residents Association at the time of her comments, told JesmondLocal that this is “leading to an increase in anti-social behaviour here in Jesmond”. 

According to Police.uk data, in August 2023, when students were home for the summer, there were 89 instances of anti-social behaviour in Jesmond. In the month of September 2023, the first student month of the 2023 academic year, anti-social behaviour rose 91% to 170 instances. 

Most of the instances were located on and around Osborne Road, the main drinking area in Jesmond. 

Workers at bars in Jesmond have complained about the drunken actions of students and working conditions due to extreme drunken behaviour from the amount of cheap alcohol sold from £2 Tuesdays. 

“I have to deal with students drinking copious amounts of alcohol with these deals, when already in intoxicated states,” one bartender at a bar that markets to students based on Osborne Road told JesmondLocal. “They vomit on the floor, up the walls as well as urinating in cups and on the floor.”   

The cheap alcohol for students has also affected residents in Jesmond. Drunken behaviour has led to disorderly behaviour and noise nuisances that residents must endure. 

The JRA’s Cunningham told JesmondLocal: “As chair of the JRA I am aware that this is creating tension in the community. I am aware of many lovely students in Jesmond, but I have also observed behaviour that is simply unacceptable”. 

Students have previously been blamed for anti-social behaviour by Liberal Democrats councillor Gerry Keating, who told JesmondLocal in November 2022 that he saw an increase in issues last year compared to the previous year. 

To combat student-related antisocial behaviour and disorder, Operation Oak, a police-led initiative, was introduced. The service offers crime prevention advice. It is funded by Northumbria and Newcastle University to the tune of £125,000. The organisation sends out high-visibility patrols in residential areas that are heavily populated by students from 10pm- to 4am on popular student drinking nights to deal with anti-social behaviour. 

Students in Newcastle are in the top three universities who spend the most money on alcohol a year spending an average £39 a month according to The Tab. The cheap student prices allow students to purchase more alcohol for cheap prices.