Colwyn Bay garage to sell booze 24 hours a day

Sep 30 2010 by Richard Evans, North Wales Weekly News

Shell petrol station, Colwyn Bay

A PETROL station planning to sell booze around the clock has outraged residents who fear an anti-social behaviour blackspot will only worsen.

The Shell Dingle Hill garage is already licensed to sell alcohol between the hours of 8am and 11pm but has now applied to Conwy County Council for permission to sell booze 24 hours a day seven days a week.

The station on Abergele Road is yards from the Dingle beauty spot which has been plagued by underage drinkers meeting in the evenings where they cause disruption, throw empty bottles and urinate in driveways.

Police have in the past used a dispersal order to combat the problem while residents on nearby Lawson Road and Greenfield Road say they are continually woken by late night revellers.

Retired Glyn ward resident Celia Reed said the garage, run by Manor Service Stations Ltd, was acting irresponsibly. Mrs Reed claimed there was already a problem with alcohol in the area.

“I’m concerned, and I don’t go to certain places in the evenings. There are people drinking underneath the bridge which leads to Eirias Park in the evenings, but if the place is selling alcohol 24 hours a day maybe the gangs will be there in the morning as well,” she said.

“I know a lady who was attacked in the Dingle, some people won’t go there because of the drunks and drug addicts: I don’t like the verbal abuse you get, but I have my dog for protection.”

Fellow resident Andy Robinson said there was already a serious problem in the area.

“There is a lot of problems in the Dingle with kids drinking,” he said.

“Underneath the A55 bridge and the promenade there are cans and smashed bottles every morning. I wouldn’t go there at certain times of the night, and in the morning there are homeless adults drinking. We already have enough problems being woken up in the night by it without the garage selling it 24 hours: people living in the Dingle have major problems with people drinking, foul language and urinating everywhere.”

A father in his early 40s living near the garage didn’t want to be named but added: “We have a problem on the Dingle itself with underage drinking, so it’ll be very convenient for them. They send one of the young men who is 18 years old to buy alcohol for them.

“We’ve already got enough licensed premises in Colwyn Bay, so it would be a problem.

“In the past there has been a lot of crime and we’ve had problems on Lawson Road and Greenfield Road and the Dingle is just around the corner.”

Insp Paul McKeown of North Wales Police said he wasn’t aware there was a problem in the Dingle area despite the complaints.

“We do analyse anti-social behaviour regularly; lots of places we have issues but that area hasn’t raised its head,” said Insp McKeown. “If there is a problem there is various measures we can take to deal with it.”

Anyone wishing to make representation in regard of the application can write before October 18 to Licensing Services, Conwy County Council, Civic Centre, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL19 8AR.