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| ‘Nightmare on Arlington
Square as kids hit booze’ |
Neighbours defeat supermarket bid
to sell drink round-the-clock
Residents Rodney Austin and Valerie Hansard |
A SHOCKING picture of children drunk in an Islington street,
and intoxicated teenagers crashing stolen motor scooters was painted
at a Town Hall licensing committee on Tuesday.
The committee was told that what was described as “the nightmare
on Arlington Square” was made worse by the absence of a regular
police presence. Residents were fearful of being knifed if they
dared complain to the trouble-makers.
The claims were made when Silver Star Supermarket failed in a bid
for a 24-hour liquor licence – one of the first in the borough
– under the government’s recently-introduced easing of
the licensing laws.
Horrified residents warned that such a move would make an already
serious problem of mindless violence and vandalism even worse.
They described “Hogarthian” scenes of children –
some as young as eight – staggering about drunk late at night,
with parents apparently indifferent to their whereabouts.
They complained of fights in the square between groups of youths
and drunken teenagers, who steal and then crash motor scooters.
A spokesman for Arlington Square Association, Rodney Austin, told
the committee that there was a big problem with under-age drinking
and youth crime in the area.
He said: “There have been violent confrontations between youths,
and numerous residents have suffered damage to cars, including broken
windows and slashed tyres.
“In Arlington Square there is a culture of late drinking, with
vomit, litter, broken bottles and damage to seats and railings.”
Mr Austin said the supermarket provided a valuable service and was
popular with the community.
He added: “But I have to say I’ve noticed that when I’ve
been in there were young people buying alcohol. I don’t know
if they were under-age or not but no one appeared to be asking them.”
Supermarket owner Kemal Akgul said he had run the shop for 16 years
and was always vigilant about under-age drinking.
He added: “We ask people their age but of course they may not
be telling the truth.” He argued that neither the police nor
Trading Standards officers had objected to his application for a
liquor licence.
Mr Akgul said: “When I refused to sell cigarettes to some young
people two years ago they came back and started to smash up my shop.”
Lib Dem committee chairwoman Councillor Margot Dunn said the application
had been rejected on the grounds that the supermarket was in a mainly
residential area.
She added: “Allowing it would result in a conflict between
needs of the residents and the supermarket. We felt it could exacerbate
any problems with crime and disorder.” |
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