Town & Country Mercantile suffers second attack on adjoining premises
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ONE of New Ross’ biggest retail employers is considering closing following a second attack on a property adjoining his business.
Town & Country Mercantile owner Billy Ryan had to close his three-storey beauty parlour, gift and clothing shop in 2016 when a motorbike was set alight at the rear of his three-storey shop. Smoke from the fire entered the premises and destroyed the vast majority of the stock, leading the business to remain closed for months.
On Wednesday a gang of youths occupied the large, vacant building – previously the florist’s InWater, beside Town & Country and lit a fire using papers on the floorboards.
Windows were smashed and glasses were smashed outside the premises also near the roundabout.
Gardaí were alerted to suspicious activity in the premises at around 11.30 p.m. following reports of trespassers who were believed to be squatting inside. One youth was arrested on public order offences at Sugar House Lane.
At 5.40 a.m. local firemen arrived and entered the building following reports of smoke issuing from inside.
Sergeant Eddie Wilde said: ‘Some papers had been set alight.’
Billy Ryan said: ‘ This has been such a blow for us. Emo- tionally and in every way. We were almost going to close the shop.’
He said youths have been trying to move in to the derelict property – whose owner Martin Sinnott recently received planning permission for four apartments and two retail units – for weeks.
The business, which sells a range of items from perfumes to ladies wear, employs nine staff.
Billy and his wife Bridget were alerted to activity at In- Water and arrived at around 11.30 p.m. to find youths hurling stones and bottles at garda. ‘It was akin to the LA riots. There were several young fellas and a girl. A scuffle broke out in the car park and garda had to use pepper spray on some of them,’ Billy said.
Two youths were arrested and the others escaped on foot.
Billy contacted Mr Sinnott to inform him about what had happened. He said as soon as the guards left three youths returned to the InWater building.
At around 5 a.m. Billy got word that a fire had broken out at the property. ‘My first thought was that we had nearly lost the place again. My wife is on a blood pressure monitor and the staff are all on tenterhooks. Every one is one edge. We are re-evaluating whether we are gong to stay in the town. The only thing keeping us here is the fantastic bunch of staff we have.’
Town & Country Mercantile is open eight years this month and Billy said it has been a struggle to stay open at times. ‘We have a situation where we have the council increasing rates by 15 per cent in a struggling town. It’s just crazy. They are talking out of both sides of their mouths as far as I’m concerned when they say they want to encourage business and footfall. We are trying to stay upbeat but with online shopping there is more competition. There is no incentive to stay. I know two other people who have had similar things happen to them. The guards are hampered as the lads just get a slap on the wrist. If it wasn’t for the firemen coming down so quick the whole thing was gone again. Why haven’t the guards the power to deal with this properly?’
Billy said there is a problem in New Ross with youths staying in derelict buildings. Motorists reported getting punctures driving over the broken glass early on Wednesday before it could all be cleaned up. ‘We have just had a horrible week in the shop and Bridget’s blood pressure has been very high.’
He said: ‘ The last time this happened it cost €1m and the insurance didn’t cover three quarters of the loss and then our insurance doubled to €10,000, in a struggling town so we got caught twice. I am livid over this.’
Mr Sinnott said the youths were in his premises warming themselves. ‘ They started the fire on the floorboards. The place could have went up if it had got going.’
He contacted gardaí a couple of nights previously as windows were broken and had to be boarded up. Superintendent John McDonald said some of the youths were drunk when gardaí directed them to leave, adding they had been sleeping in derelict buildings in the town and some had been engaging in anti-social behaviour.