The owner of an Ayrshire takeaway says he has ‘serious decisions’ to make on its future after claiming he's been forced to endure shocking levels of crime and neglect.
What the Scoop boss Haroon Ali has spoken out after a worker's car was allegedly stolen from outside his popular takeaway which dishes out sweat treats across Ayr.
The shutters of the Content Street business have been down since the beginning of March - just days after the alleged grand theft auto incident, with Haroon returning to his native Pakistan to deal with a family issue.
But when he returns he fears for what’s next for the popular dessert parlour which delivers sweet treats to customers across Ayr.
The shop was tipped to be crowned Scotland’s top takeaway in 2021 after being nominated for a British Takeaway Awards.
Since then, Haroon and his wife, Sabiha Ali, claim they've been under siege with vandalism in 2021 which preceded the alleged car theft outside the premises on Sunday, February 26.
And Haroon says that latest incident in the Wallacetown area, known locally as White City, was the last straw with the owner and staff left “on edge.”
Haroon told Ayrshire Live: “Having this business here has been the biggest waste of my life, if I’m honest.
“Our customer base is really good, we get orders from everywhere, but that is as far it goes.
“Customers don’t want to come here to White City, it is the central area of Ayr and it has been neglected. It has a bad reputation.
“There are blatant problems here. There are drug dealers, you can constantly smell weed. It has a real drug problem.
“We’ve had vandalism a few years ago, and then we had the incident last month.
“Staff never felt comfortable last month, they were on edge.
“When I was leaving the shop after the incident with our workers car, I was scared, I was on edge that something was going to happen.”
Haroon blames ‘zero investment’ in the area and has called on police to step up patrols.
He added: “It has been neglected. I run a property and investments business and from a property perspective there is loads of potential, its the cheapest bit in Ayr.
“But people don’t want to come here, they call it a hellhole.
“With all the problems, I’d welcome more police in the area.
“After the incident with our workers car there was no extra patrols in place. The police are never here. I rarely see them.”
Haroon added: “I’ve got some serious decisions to make this year, very important decisions.”
Ayr's top cop says police in Wallacetown are committed to helping residents feel safe.
Chief Inspector Kevin Lammie told Ayrshire Live: “South Ayrshire Police has dedicated Community Wellbeing Officers working in partnership with statutory and third sector partners to support residents living and working in Wallacetown.
“In addition our locality policing team, in line with our local policing priorities, is committed to targeting those who prey on the most vulnerable in our community, to ensure our residents feel safe. This frequently includes a range of tactics including high visibility patrols in local areas including Wallacetown.
“Anyone who has any concerns or information they would like to share or discuss is asked to contact local police via 101, or email “Contactus”. In an emergency calls should be made to 999. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
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