by Lucy Buckland

A café owner has called on drug taking thugs to be locked out of a town centre alleyway.

Nazim Utku said the passage behind Kings Café in Chipstead Valley Road, Coulsdon, is a magnet for teenagers who take drugs and drink.

Mr Utku, who has run the café for two years, said thieves who broke in and stole his till in October used the alleyway to get into the building.

He told the Advertiser: "It is perfect for people because there are no cameras and it is dark. It is not only the drinking and the smoking of hash. It is the rubbish they leave behind.

"Bottles of vodka and cans of beer are left behind by the groups who stumble out of the pub on a Saturday, and there is nothing we can do about it. It is disgusting behaviour."

Mr Utku, who has run the café with his wife Ann for nearly three years, said he has been campaigning for a gate to lock out the troublemakers for over a year.

"The problem is no one seems to listen," he explained.

"The council and the police all say they want to help, but this is happening all the time, at least three times a week."

In a business plan leaked to the Advertiser, Coulsdon district manager Christine Samson, who works for Croydon Enterprise states alley gates – funded by Croydon Business – could be put into the town centre.

Although the report states there is "low crime overall" in Coulsdon, Mr Utku said he didn't call the police every time an incident happened behind his business.

He explained: "Sometimes you think you should call the police when you hear people screaming and shouting because there might be some trouble, but usually I don't because it would take too long for them to come. If there is big trouble I will always call them."

Mr Utku said the gates would also bring a feeling of community to the shops on Chipstead Valley Road as everyone would have a key.

The café owner said he has petitioned Ms Samson for the gates and she had seemed keen.

But she was unavailable for comment as the Advertiser went to press.

Coulsdon Safer Neighbourhood Team PC George Booth said: "We patrol around the alleyway regularly and this has never been drawn up as a major issue

"Gates would be a great idea, but it would have to be practically worked out with the council as there are many people who have flats and shops."

Coulsdon West councillor Brian Cakebread welcomed the idea of alley gates.

He said: "I am thrilled the traders are looking at ways to make Coulsdon safer and more attractive. From my point of view if the gates are closed and not locked it would definitely improve the aesthetics of the town centre and discourage people littering the alley.."