PARTS of Colchester town centre have become a “no-go” area for some people and businesses are suffering badly, a bar owner has warned.

Piers Baker, who runs the Church Street Tavern, also criticised Essex Police and Colchester Council’s response to a rise in aggressive begging.

Mr Baker who also runs the Sun Inn, in Dedham, took over the Church Street bar in February 2014.

Gazette:

He cites one major problem as aggressive begging, usually from a man who spends much of his time on a bench between the bar and Jumbo, as well as group of men on a grassy area beside the historic water tower.

But the restaurateur has also labelled parts of Colchester town centre as “disgusting” and “untidy”.

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He said: “When we are having these issues, the police aren’t responding. I can’t be hard on the police because it is clear they are stretched.

“My gripe is not a police gripe, it is a societal one.”

“We have a particular man who sits on the bench round the corner most afternoons and every time someone walks past, he asks them for 20p and when they say ‘no’, he just shouts abuse at them.

“I have had customers who don’t want to come to lunch anymore. They had been parking at St Mary’s and coming into town that way but they don’t want that experience so they’re not coming.”

Mr Baker also said when the man decides to move off the bench, he uses Church Street as a cut-through to Head Street and passes the bar’s outside tables.

He added: “As he walks past, it happens again and the managers have to go out and pretty much sort out the situation – it’s not physical but it is very unpleasant.”

Gazette:

The bar boss revealed the perspective he gained on a trip to Bury St Edmunds, where he noticed a “completely different feel”.

He added: “Firstly, it was much busier than Colchester but I also didn’t see clock any beggars – that’s not to say it doesn’t happen there, but I didn’t see them.

“There were flowering plants everywhere and car parking was a lot cheaper. When I came back to Colchester, it was about 2pm and I was greeted with people sleeping in the doorways, rubbish everywhere and some streets are just disgusting.”

Mr Baker, who on Wednesday unveiled a refurbishment of the bar area, added: “Running a business is hard and we cannot survive by banking on people coming out on Fridays and Saturdays and issues like begging and the general state of the town aren’t helping.”

Gazette:

Before Mr Baker bought the premises in June 2013, he “observed” much of the town and was impressed.

He added: “When I was telling people what I was doing and where I was opening, they would never go to Colchester – for them it was a ‘no-go’ area.

“But I was saying to them: ‘Things are much better than you think and I had converted some friends. I said to them I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t feel it could work,

“Sure enough, people came and thought: ‘Wow, it has changed,’ but they have stopped over the last six months because of what they have to experience getting to Church Street Tavern.

“I suppose they’ve been vindicated when they said it was a ‘no-go’ area.”

In a joint statement, Essex Police and Colchester Council spokesmen said both police and council know the importance of having a safe, attractive and welcoming town centre.

It added: “Together with a host of partners we are exploring all the potential positive solutions to the challenges we face in Colchester to enable us to achieve this.

“We want to continue enhancing the quality of life and protect the rights of those living and working in the borough.

"We are also committed to supporting businesses who are key to maintaining and boosting the town’s economy.

“Through the Safer Colchester Partnership, we work with a wide range of agencies, charities and community groups, to develop and co-ordinate a number of initiatives to support rough sleepers work will be further boosted as part of the council’s newly adopted two-year action plan to make the borough an even more attractive place.

“We will not tolerate antisocial behaviour or aggressive begging, and these situations will be dealt with appropriately by Essex Police.”

Further plans to tackle the situation will be outlined soon.

To report any town centre concerns email colchestercommunitypolicingteam@essex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 and ask for Colchester’s Community Policing Team.