Business owners on a lane in Cardiff claim they are "fed up" with drug use and crime happening on their doorstep. Tudor Lane, just off Tudor Street in the Riverside area of the city, is lined with a collection of independent businesses and craft studios, but business owners say they are finding needles multiple times a week and can hear people shouting for drug dealers on a regular basis.
“It’s a really nice community of creative people up and down this lane. We’ve got a sculptor next door, an artist as a landlord, three woodworkers, ceramicists, two coffee shops,” business owner Dave Hann said. Dave has run his bike workshop business, Motor Legs, from the site for six years. “Little Man Garage and this shop over the last five years have created a lot of footfall,” he said.
Many of the businesses have been on the lane for a number of years, some for as long as two decades. The variety of businesses and workshops on the lane includes studios for ceramic artists, a sign writing business, a carpenter, Dave's bike repair shop, a coffee shop, several artists, and more. The traders who work on Tudor Lane have described it as a "lovely community." You can read more about the traders of Tudor Lane here.
Read more: The changing face of one of Cardiff's most notorious streets
The lane is tucked behind Litchfield Court on Tudor Street, one of the main roads heading in and out of the city centre. The street has recently undergone major works to improve the road as part of a multi-million pound scheme by Cardiff Council. Dave says traders on Tudor Lane were able to access grants as part of this.
However, he is among the business owners who say that drug use and dealing on the lane and in the surrounding area is becoming an issue for traders and customers alike. “The place has been beautified, however, social problems haven’t been dealt with,” he said. “It’s like the tide. Back in the day, we’d see them walking one way looking like zombies - it was clear where they were going - and then they would walk back up. Things have changed.”
Dave says that shouting for the names of drug dealers can often be heard on the lane. Over the last year, Dave says he has made reports to the police around three to four times a week. “I report everything. I want the culture to be better and I believe in civic responsibility,” he said.
Traders on the lane have been speaking with local councillors and the police to discuss the issues and have been given a reference number to use for reporting anti-social behaviour in the area. One business owner said they were assured by a PCSO that names were being followed in ongoing investigations.
“It’s started to get to a point where I’m feeling a little bit cynical,” Dave said. Normally, he continued, customers would put their bike in the stand outside his shop to be examined and would be given a quote for repair work. However, he says that, following a fight that broke out on the lane one day while the business was doing a quote for a customer, the customer ended up leaving.
One business owner was too afraid to leave their building a few weeks ago due to a crowd of people using drugs gathering on his doorstep, Dave said. “He was quite noticeably shaken up,” he said. “Since then, there have been days where we’ve found four or five needles on the street, on our doorstep. There are derelict cars here with no number plates on them. Drug dealers and users use them as places to hide behind."
Business owners say that they feel not enough is being done to tackle the issue and that they feel frustrated. Tom Barber has been a full-time barista at Little Man Coffee for just over a month, having worked part-time in the coffee shop for two months prior.
“It’s progressively been getting worse in the past month that I’ve been here full-time,” he said. He added that there was a period of about two weeks where he was working at the shop every day. “At least every other day there was a calling out for the drug dealer,” he said. “If not, there would be very obvious drug deals, drop-offs. It’s in plain sight, they don’t hide it.”
Tom said he had found approximately six needles over a two-week period, and has become familiar with the timings of dealing and shouting in the lane. “My experience is that there are a lot of people on the street who are making people feel uncomfortable.”
He added that businesses are taking a hit. “We’ve had customers upstairs and people have been fighting in the street or calling out for the drug dealer and [the customers are] leaving immediately. It’s creating a very uncomfortable atmosphere.”
“Down this lane, it’s our businesses that are being affected. This is one of my most favourite places that I’ve worked in the past 15 years of employment,” Tom said. “My main concern is for the people in [Litchfield Court] trying to do better. I just want those people to have the best shot they can.”
A long-standing business owner, who did not want to be named, said that drug use is not new to the area. “We’re trying to make this area a lot more positive and so are the council who have been great, but it’s the same problems that keep resurfacing all the time. Why that is, I don’t know,” they said.
The business owner said that, despite police presence and cameras in the area, it is “open season for drug use” on the lane and that they were worried about employees coming to and from work. “On days like today, it’s lovely. The sun’s out and everyone’s out, and it’s fine. But it’s still going on and nothing’s changed, which is a bit disappointing.”
The business owner says the area has improved over the years with more businesses setting up there, but that drug use has not changed in that time period. “Something’s got to be done and we’ve all had enough really. There’s a lot of kids who live in flats near the lane, so they’re constantly walking up and down. There was a couple who were playing football amongst piles of needles,” the business owner said.
Leonora Thompson, a councillor for Riverside, was elected in May last year and says that, shortly after, she became aware of the ongoing issues of drug use on Tudor Lane. Cllr Thompson visited traders on the lane a few weeks ago to discuss the issues.
“The problem fluctuates. I think there are some very bad times sometimes and then I think it gets better. It’s not an even cycle, from what I’ve been observing,” she said. Following discussions with traders about providing sharps bins for traders to discard needles that appear on the lane, Cllr Thompson said that some were delivered last week.
“It’s a sad situation that that has to be the case,” she said. “I would say that the staff at Litchfield Court are super. They are trying to collect sharps if they know where they are and are helping on that front. The problem is that they’re there in the first place.”
Cllr Thompson said she has met with the management team at Litchfield Court. “Some of it is to do with some residents at Litchfield Court, however, a lot of it isn’t to do with residents of Litchfield Court. Most of those people are trying to build a life for themselves and get away from these issues, so the vast majority of people are wanting to live in peace. But there are some more troublesome elements.
“Because it’s a concentration of people who have had some issues in their lives and it’s an area of, really, extreme deprivation - south Riverside is one of the poorest in Wales and it’s actually got the highest child poverty rates in Wales - it’s just unfortunate that there is a concentrated number of facilities in the area who are helping people with issues."
Of 1,909 LSOAs (Lower Super Output Areas) in Wales (Riverside is made up of four), Riverside ranks 1,903 for housing, 1,804 for employment, 1,804 for income and 1,852 for health. As many as 55% of of children in South Riverside live in poverty - the highest proportion in Wales. You can read more about that here.
“It’s not surprising, unfortunately, that there are people trying to take advantage of that situation and selling drugs in the area. That is what we have to try and stop,” Cllr Thompson continued, adding that police, councillors, and Cardiff Council are working together to resolve the issue with a multi-agency group trying to solve the problem. “But, I’m afraid, these things take a long time to shift,” she said.
Councillors have asked for security to be improved at Litchfield Court, Cllr Thompson said, with security patrolling outside the building, as well as inside. “It’s very easy to blame the residents, but there are people who are wanting to get on with their lives and make something of their lives.
"The staff at Litchfield Court are trying to put on activities that will help people move away from these issues and there’s been some really good work going on. But there are still some troublesome elements and it’s a bit of a magnet for people who are wanting to make trouble, sell, and take drugs in the area.
“I do understand why the traders are very exercised about it. It is a really difficult issue for their quality of life and quality of trading and they are making such a difference to the area. If we can just, all together, tackle this issue, it will be a much better place to be and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
PC Amiee White of South Wales Police commented: “We have an operation ongoing at the moment to tackle the levels of anti-social behaviour and crime in and around Litchfield Court/Tudor Lane. This involves officers patrolling High Viz and in plain clothes.
"The nature of the incidents understandably causes issues for the local residents. The operation has been running for several weeks, and we’ve had some positive results. The patrols are increased particularly over the weekend and evening times when the issues tend to be more prevalent.
"As a result, we have seen a decrease in the number of violent crimes committed within the area. While some issues still persist however, we will continue to pursue our active approach. Local PCSO’s are in regular contact with some of the business owners, and have responded to any concerns that have been raised. We’re also in regular contact with the staff member inside Litchfield Court, to help tackle the issue from the residents."
A Spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: “The council has been working closely with the South Wales Police to address the issues of anti-social behaviour on Tudor Lane and around Litchfield Court.
"Proactive measures are being put in place to manage any anti-social behaviour, including proposed changes to the exterior of Litchfield Court to reduce the opportunity of crimes taking place; increasing CCTV coverage in the area which is monitored 24 hours a day; additional security patrols; further training for staff at Litchfield Court on how to manage instances of anti-social behaviour and closer partnership working with the South Wales Police to take action against those that are offending.”
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