A newsagent has condemned critics who blame him for encouraging drunks to gather in Worthing town centre.
Yax Patel, who runs Worthing News in Shelley Road, says he is being unfairly targeted by a leaflet campaign urging people to complain about him to the police.
The family-run shop has had an alcohol licence for 12 years and Mr Patel says he has never had any problems from police or residents in the area.
Mr Patel, 31, says his business is well established in the town and is worried the leaflets may affect trade.
Dozens of letters have been sent to homes and shops in Shelley Road area, claiming Mr Patel's shop is serving people who are already drunk, and encouraging people to contact the Worthing police licensing department.
Mr Patel said: "I do not serve alcohol to people who are drunk and to people who are under age and I do not see why I should be specifically targeted and shoulder the blame.
"There is more than one place in Worthing to buy alcohol and just because there are groups of drunken people who like to gather in the area does not mean they are coming into my shop throughout the day buying drink.
"I always work closely with the police and see them on a regular basis and they have had no problems. There are problems with groups of people gathering to drink all over Worthing but to simply target one place is unfair."
Worthing police, Worthing Borough Council and the Worthing Town Initiative have recently launched a campaign aiming at removing drunks who often gather at various parts of the town centre, including Liverpool Gardens and the beach shelter near the lido on the seafront.
This has involved closely monitoring shops, pubs, clubs and off-licences and working with licence-holders to ensure they are fully aware of the law.
All three organisations have received numerous complaints from residents and businesses angry at the poor image the drunks give the town.
There have also been reports that people walking past them often feel intimidated by shouting, swearing and fighting.
The council has also recently removed benches in nearby Salisbury Road and Grafton Road where groups of drunks often gather in a bid to stop them going there.
PC Dave Whitcombe, from the Worthing police licensing unit, said: "If people have got a genuine concern about people who are drunk or about any particular store then we would always welcome their call.
"However, we do not recommend doing things like sending out leaflets publicly encouraging people to complain about one specifically-named place.
"Problems with alcohol are prevalent everywhere and police in Sussex will continue to follow a policy of working closely with licence-holders and retailers to try and control the situation."
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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