Traders' worry over 'drug haven'

The car park at Vantage Point, near Preston Circus, Brighton, has become a haven for users.

Dozens of needles have been seen littering the floor and one woman found four syringes poking through her car's radiator grille.

Jim Evans, the caretaker of the Vantage Point development of shops, offices and flats, said he regularly picked up discarded drug-taking paraphernalia.

He said he spotted five dealers and users in the car park and called the police but was told it was "not a priority".

He said: "It is a poor show when you can't get officers to come out. I appreciate there must be priorities but this is an ongoing event.

"During the last three years we have had this nearly every day."

Mr Evans is backed by local businesses.

Mervyn Jones, who has owned CJS cleaning supplies in Circus Parade for ten years, said: "It has been an on-going saga as long as we've been here.

"There were about 20 syringes in the car park last week. It only needed someone to step on one on the way to work.

"Last week they could have been caught red-handed but nobody came. The next day, we heard there was a major crackdown on drugs in Brighton."

Mr Jones said a woman recently had her bag snatched in a shop on the parade and he has had a panic alarm fitted in his premises.

He said: "We never see a policeman walk past, ever. Traffic wardens, yes, but no police."

Businessman George Koumaradis said he had been physically attacked but was more concerned about his vehicle.

He said: "If I have to go up to London tomorrow, I don't know whether my van will be all right."

Mr Evans has written to Sussex Police's new Chief Constable, Ken Jones, and Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper.

Inspector Rob Carden said: "We always ask the public to contact us if they see drug-taking and tackling drugs is one of our main priorities.

"This information will be passed to the divisional intelligence unit and a number of options will be open to us, including covert work."