'We don't need another venue for them to get alcohol from'

A NEW shop has gained a licence to sell alcoholic drinks despite a raft of objections saying it would “add fire to the flame” of antisocial behaviour.

- By GARETH LIGHTFOOT

Alaimagan Thangarajah had applied to sell alcohol at the Richardson Road Convenience Store between 6am and 11pm. However he has now reduced these hours to between 9am and 10pm.

Police, licensing, environmental health and public health officers all withdrew their objections to the bid following the reduction of hours.

A petition with 56 signatures, along with several individual letters from concerned residents, was presented to a busy Stockton Council licensing subcommittee meeting on Thursday.

Residents opposing the licence said it would become “a hub of activity for people sitting on the street, drinking, throwing bottles into the road, hanging around... for disorder, nuisance and noise”.

One objector, Kim Lochrie, said: “I can hear drunks going past, so if there’s going to be alcohol sold on the corner they're going to come at any time of the day.

“They're alcoholics, that’s what they want.

“You don’t live there, we do. We get it even now, we get people walking up and down our street shouting their mouths off, abusive language, having arguments, all through alcohol.

“I've had sex workers sitting on my wall drinking and talking about the jobs they've had... They're buying little bottles of vodka, I've had them thrown in my front garden.

“I've lived on that street for 34 years and we've had some humdingers. It's getting to be a nice area.

“It's so frustrating. This is the best we've ever been for a while, so to stick another alcohol premises smack bang in the middle of a community beggars belief to me. We don’t need another venue for them to get alcohol from.”