Convicted criminals in England and Wales could be banned from going to the pub, concerts and football matches, under new plans by the government to address the country’s overflowing prisons.

Under the new sentencing powers, judges would be able to limit offenders’ freedoms with a range of measures such as driving limits, travel bans and confining them to certain zones.

“When criminals break society’s rules, they must be punished. Those serving their sentences in the community must have their freedom restricted there too,” Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said.

Britain, which has western Europe’s highest rate of incarceration according to the World Prison Brief database, has been forced to bring in measures such as releasing prisoners early to tackle chronic overcrowding in jails.

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