‘Street crime levels are already severe’

RESIDENTS are fighting plans to open an off licence in their troubleplagued street.

Businessman Tuncay Calar initially applied for a premises licence to sell alcohol from a shop in Sheepmarket in Leek, from 5am until midnight every day.

Those opening hours have since been scaled back to run from 6am until 11pm following discussions between the applicant, Staffordshire Police and environmental health officers.

But residents still fear the shop will increase anti-social behaviour.

Stephen Lanza said: “The crime level is already severe without more fuel on the fire.

“We have to call 999 most weekends without having more anti-social behaviour in the street.

“We often wake up to find food, urine, sick and condoms in the doorways of shops. The amount of cars in the street after hours has also become unbelievable and I

have constantly reported it to the police and the council.

“At weekends there are large groups of kids trying to gain access to pubs. An off-licence on the street will only add more issues to the already stretched resources in the town.”

Jason Smith has lodged an objection on behalf of the Mosaic shop, on Sheepmarket.

He said: “Sheepmarket has a massive problem with large groups of underage youths drinking and trying to gain entry to the public houses.

“The area is already not a suitable environment for them and with the possibility and temptation of locally accessible alcohol it could become a magnet.

“Drinkers are regularly sick and urinate in doorways in Sheepmarket (pictured below).

“Access to alcohol at a cheaper cost than the pubs for 19 hours could accelerate the problem with abusers drinking in the streets at all times of day and night.

“We are promoting Leek as a tourist town – but an off-licence could attract the wrong people into the town at all sorts of hours.”

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s licensing sub-committee is set to rule on the application at a meeting tomorrow.