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A hairdresser who removed a bench from outside her salon after being harassed by antisocial behaviour has been left stunned after she claimed police threatened her with vandalism.
Rebecca Sutton decided to take drastic action after she was harassed by drug dealers and drunks who gathered outside her shop in the picturesque Shropshire market town of Market Drayton.
The 37-year-old man had covered the problematic bench outside The Town Barbers with black tape last Tuesday and hung a handwritten sign reading ‘Out of use’.
Ms Sutton said she acted after bouts of anti-social behavior after catching addicts openly smoking drugs, drunks urinating on them and people having sex.
She claims to have repeatedly complained to the council and the police about the issue, but nothing has ever been done about it.
She said she was then left stunned after being ‘warned’ by West Mercia police that she could now face criminal charges herself for causing ‘damage’ to the bank.
Mrs Sutton, of Market Drayton, said: ‘I just couldn’t take it any more. We’ve had a lot of them, people making cocaine lines from the sofa and even people having sex with it.
‘There are drunks who pee on it in the middle of the day and this week there was someone openly smoking a bong outside the store.
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‘I know families who come here and if you see someone doing drugs in front of a barbershop, you just walk away and go somewhere else.
‘I’ve been here for twelve years and it’s getting worse.
‘But no one wants to do anything. I have called the council and the police, but it doesn’t stop.
‘I asked the council to remove the bench in front of my shop, because that is where everyone comes together.
‘But they refused because they say it is necessary for the elderly, but there are more benches here.
‘And then the police warned me that there could be criminal damage. I couldn’t believe what I heard.
‘I asked the police for help, but they say I could be the one prosecuted.
“I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I’m just trying to help and protect my business.”
Market Drayton Council said the situation of anti-social behavior in the town was ‘ongoing’.
Councillor Sue Thomas said: ‘This is an ongoing issue which the council has raised with the local policing team on many occasions and they have agreed to increase their patrols in the area and issue PPOs where necessary.
‘The area in question is the responsibility of Shropshire Council; they decided not to move the bank.”
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Andy Wilde, deputy director of infrastructure, highways and transport at Shropshire Council, added: ‘We understand how worrying this situation is and will continue to work with all agencies to find a permanent solution to the problem of anti-social behavior in this area.
‘We believe that attention should be focused on the root cause of the problems, in this case the anti-social behavior of those responsible, rather than on removing seats that should be used by everyone.’
Inspector Claire Greenway, from North Shropshire Safer Neighborhood Team, said: “We understand the impact anti-social behavior can have on our communities and we are determined to do all we can to tackle local issues.
‘We are currently speaking to business owners across the city and working with partner agencies to identify those responsible for the antisocial behaviour and to further investigate any criminal offences that may have been committed.
‘I encourage the public to always report antisocial behaviour and other crimes via our website or by calling 101. This is essential to help find those responsible.’
MailOnline has contacted West Mercia Police for comment.