Vandals attack shops around churchyard

By Thom Kennedy

Last updated 15:41, Thursday, 07 August 2008

Traders around a Penrith church are coming under attack from drunken vandals.

Athol Angus who owns No11 antique shop and Didi Evason from Beckside Books

Almost every shop in the vicinity of St Andrew’s Church has had a window broken at least once by vandals, and shopkeepers regularly spend their Monday mornings sweeping up glass and vomit from their doorsteps.

Community police officials and councillors are hoping to secure funding to erect additional lighting and CCTV cameras in the area in the hope of deterring the vandals.

And, according to shopkeepers, the move can’t come soon enough.

Didi Evason, who runs Beckside Books on the edge of the square, said: “The area is quite normal during the day but it has this other character during the night.

“It is a wider social issue, really, but there is a big gap between the lights. The only other thing they can do is add a police presence.”

Athol Angus, who runs the No11 antique shop, said his shop had suffered eight break-ins in two years, and had lost goods on several of those occasions.

He has had to invest in bars to place over his windows to keep people from breaking into his shop.

Mr Angus said: “The biggest single problem is it is not very well lit, and they use the seats in the churchyard to have a smoke. They don’t have toilets so they use the back of the church.”

Many people use the path to cut through between pubs, clubs and takeaways late at night, and shop owners find empty bottles and takeaway cartons in the alley.

Some youngsters use the churchyard itself as a place to drink.

Councillor Michael Eyles is among those campaigning to have lighting and CCTV cameras put in place in the square.

He said: “All but one of the shops has had at least one window smashed in the last few months, and the only reason the other didn’t is that it has grilles up. One had a window put through cost £500.

“Even though the insurance companies pay out, the premiums go up for all the businesses.

“If we can get something in before the winter it would be an improvement, even if it’s just house lighting with motion sensors it would help crime levels.”

TKennedy@cngroup.co.uk