Antisocial louts force traders to close doors

TOWN'S BUSINESSES SAY THEY FEEL SCARED AT NIGHT

- By ANDREW ROBINSON

BUSINESS owners in the centre of Dewsbury say they now shut up shop earlier due to problems caused by street drinkers, people “loitering” and sometimes fighting.

The owners of Dewsbury town centre businesses said they felt scared later at night when it gets dark, so they had decided to close earlier.

They described people “loitering”, begging for money, and becoming aggressive after drinking in the streets. West Yorkshire Police says it has strengthened its town centre team and is working to make the town safer.

Ridvan Turhan, who runs Town Cafe on Market Street, had been opening until 10pm earlier this year when he was doing good business preparing food which was picked up and delivered by the various online food delivery companies. Now he tends to close at 5pm or 6pm and has lost a lot of business as a result.

He says there are too many “crazy people” in the town centre after 6pm or 7pm who he sees “fighting” He says they sometimes enter the cafe and ask for food, money or cigarettes.

“After six the town is really bad,’ he said. “There is too much fighting and drunk people. People don’t come into this town. I am scared as at night I was on my own.”