Club Owner's Desperate Plea

Joy Collier staged a rates strike to highlight the misery caused by alcoholics hanging around outside her home and business, the Cairo Club, in Surrey Street.

She told Chichester magistrates that drunks congregating in the area had urinated in her garden, shouted abuse at her and been a general nuisance for the past four years.

"I m not refusing to pay my business rates, I m withholding them, because I want people to listen to what I have to say. I live next to Fisherman s Quay, a beautiful spot, but for the past four years I have suffered from all these alcoholics.

"I am at the end of my tether. What am I paying my rates for? I call the police and they don t turn up. It s quite horrendous living here.

"I am doing this in desperation. I nearly had a breakdown over these alcoholics. The council isn t doing anything. Can t they bring in a law banning drinking in the street?

"All I came here for today was to be heard. There s no one in Littlehampton listening to me."

Magistrates expressed sympathy with Miss Collier s situation and voiced their concern about the lack of law and order in the town.

She said she would pay the overdue 666 in business rates the following day.

Miss Collier s case was heard in the same week police hailed a trial crackdown on street drinking as a significant success.

Cheap, strong cider and lager was cleared off supermarket and off-licence shelves for a month with the co-operation of the businesses in November.

Sgt Mick Potter, of Littlehampton police, said he was aware of the difficulties faced by Miss Collier. "We have regularly been up to this group, checked them and taken action where necessary. It is very difficult. We can t just hound them if an offence is not being committed."

Bill Minton, Arun s head of external liaison, said the council was investigating the possibility of banning street drinking in that area, and would be holding fresh talks with the police.