An alcoholic twice breached a court order imposed by magistrates to curb his anti-social behaviour.

Raymond Woods, who has more than 300 convictions to his name, was handed the Criminal Behaviour Order in September.

The order, given to prevent future nuisance offending by the 60-year-old, bans him from entering Huddersfield town centre as defined by the ring road.

It was imposed due to the number of the offences he had committed in the town.

However he breached his order twice on November 14 and 26, Kirklees Magistrates’ Court heard.

In the first date he was caught by police inside Coral Bookmakers on Market Street.

Woods responded by swearing when he was informed of his arrest.

He was on bail for this offence when he ignored his ban again, this time found by a Police Community Support Office in Huddersfield Bus Station.

Woods again had no prearranged appointments excusing his presence in the town and was arrested.

Bob Carr, mitigating, at the Huddersfield court, described his client as a nuisance rather than a criminal.

He told magistrates that Woods would come into town drunk, with no idea why he was there.

He would then be arrested and placed in the cells.

Mr Carr said: “He has 335 previous convictions and that’s got to be some sort of a record that he’s not proud of.

“The easiest way to deal with him today would be to send him to prison.

“You’d protect Huddersfield town centre from a man coming in who doesn’t cause any problem but drinks.

“He’s an alcoholic and his life has little meaning.”

Woods was summoned to Kirklees Magistrates Court last month after again breaching the ban to go and buy some cigarettes.

He needed some tobacco and was just about to enter a shop in the town centre when a Police Community Support Officer stopped him.

Magistrates heard that Woods, of Clare House in Clare Hill, has since had some changes to his life.

He now has a support worker and the problem with his benefits has been resolved.

Woods had turned to drinking to ease the pain after suffering problems with his hip which he needs an operation on.

Magistrates sentenced him to an electronically-monitored curfew as a direct alternative to custody.

This will run between 5pm and 5am for 12 weeks.