Fir Vale Road in Bournemouth the sixth most violent street in the UK

9:18am Monday 5th March 2012 in News By Stephen Bailey

203 VIOLENT CRIMES: Fir Vale Road, Bournemouth 203 VIOLENT CRIMES: Fir Vale Road, Bournemouth

A BOURNEMOUTH street has been revealed as the sixth most violent in the country by a thinktank.

Fir Vale Road is home to Bournemouth’s biggest nightclub, Lava Ignite, and other clubs like Bliss and Walkabout are yards away on adjoining roads.

The figures come from UKCrimeStats, which carries out research for the Economic Policy Centre.

The statistics showed there were 203 violent crimes on or near Fir Vale Road between January, 2011 and November ,2011.

The country’s worst street was Albert Road South in Watford, another nightclubbing hotspot, which had 306 violent crimes.

UKCrimeStats said it analysed data partly from the new crime information website police.uk.

Dan Lewis, director of UkCrimeStats, said the data was not precise but he said the research enabled people to compare areas around the country.

View the street-level crime statistics for Fir Vale Road for yourself by searching through the list of figures from the Home Office

Businesses operating in the area were unsurprised by the news.

Sunny Sharma, owner of the restaurant Ciao in Old Christchurch Road, said: “I can sum up this area in one word – disgusting.

“I could tell you some horrific stories about the things we see here. We are forever having to hand over our CCTV footage to the police.

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“It’s got to the point now where I cannot leave a female here on her own at night. It’s not safe.

“We get reviews on Trip Advisor which praise our food but say this is the worst street in Bournemouth. They are intimidated by what’s going on outside – the yobs fighting, the police wagons.

“It’s a shame. When we opened eight years ago there were lots of nice restaurants here, now it is all kebab houses.”

And a taxi driver who works weekend nights in Bournemouth said: “It’s madness down here. The police are at full stretch and there is all sorts of nonsense going on.

“Over on the other side of town, people are that bit older and better behaved. All the trouble is concentrated in one spot.

“The students get a bad press but I don’t think they deserve it, generally they are well behaved. It’s the stag and hen parties I think that cause most of the trouble.”

Bournemouth Council has longstanding concerns about night-time violence and the image it gives Bournemouth.

Cllr Dave Smith, cabinet member for communities, recently ordered a review of the night time economy.

He said: “Nearly all the violent crime referred to in this research occurs between midnight and 6am as a result of excess drinking.

“Bournemouth is generally safe but the problems associated with the night time and economy and excessive drinking need to be addressed.”

The council is considering using Early Morning Restriction Orders, which can stop the sale of alcohol during the early hours, to stagger closing times in different areas of the town.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “We continue to work hard with our partners to reduce crime in Bournemouth town centre and there has been a 9.3 per cent reduction so far this year.

“A large number of crimes that take place in Fir Vale Road are alcohol related. We use taxi marshals in the town centre and we deliver hard-hitting training to licensed premises to make them aware of action they can take.”

Jon Shipp, Bournemouth’s night-time economy co-ordinator, said: “According to the latest police statistics we know that the numbers of violent crime incidents taking place in Bournemouth town centre are falling and has continued to do so over the last two years. We are all committed to reducing the numbers of incidents further.

“The Bournemouth By Night study that was recently commissioned will also play an important part in the process of developing Bournemouth’s nightlife.”

Fir Vale Road: violent crime figures

UkCrimeStats measured the amount of violent crimes, which include public order offences and a variety of other offences.

These are Dorset Police records of cases of assault and actual bodily harm on Fir Vale Road.

2006: 110

2007: 95

2008: 57

2009: 68

2010: 53

2011: 57

Comments(47)

Old Colonial says...
9:23am Mon 5 Mar 12

Bournemouth up for another award then?

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Edwinton says...
9:32am Mon 5 Mar 12

Its all going to be okay, the new flats built on the public car park near Horseshoe Common will make it a safe place. In fact building flats on public owned land will not only make money for the 'Bournemouth Development Partnership' but also promote world peace. Just ask the Council.

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politicaltrainspotter says...
9:33am Mon 5 Mar 12

As stated in the Echo.The first location for an EMRO and Late Night Levy...

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BarrHumbug says...
9:38am Mon 5 Mar 12

Once again, a list of pointless figures not showing all the stats! Does this list mean crime is down or that less people are being prosecuted for it? For all we know there could have been 200 fights in 2006 and a 1000 in 2011.

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spooki says...
9:54am Mon 5 Mar 12

Why not open another couple of bars or night clubs in the area? Then we might have the best worst road!

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Controversial But True says...
9:54am Mon 5 Mar 12

Bournemouth???

Little retirement town by the sea???

No, a dirty, run down and uncontrolled town where the council only spend on idiotic projects and not the locals!

Maybe if there was something for the natives to do except drink....like more drug rehabs perhaps!!

Council and councellors, it's your shout. The public never have a say!!!!

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Edwinton says...
9:56am Mon 5 Mar 12

Maybe the Council could invest in an arts center for the children and young people of the area to give them another focus than binge drinking and making profits for the drinks industry.

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throatwarbler says...
9:58am Mon 5 Mar 12

there is simply too much aggression in society these days. "meditation meditation meditation". That should be the energy at the forefront of all thought.

If ever you are faced with violence in Fir Vale Road simply conduct the following three easy steps to safety:

1. Ground yourself by imagining roots growing from the soles of your feet deep into the earth.

2. Place Archangel Michael’s blue cloak around you for protection.

3. Imagine you are over the portal in Honolulu and are breathing higher love into your sacral chakra. This is a beautiful pink.

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Linguist says...
10:09am Mon 5 Mar 12

"The statistics showed there were 203 violent crimes on or near Fir Vale Road between January, 2011 and November ,2011."

These are Dorset Police records of cases of assault and actual bodily harm on Fir Vale Road.

2006: 110

2007: 95

2008: 57

2009: 68

2010: 53

2011: 57"

Put these two facts from above together and what do they tell us?

Report this post »

ashleycross says...
10:09am Mon 5 Mar 12

This area is on the doorstep of the police station. The law to stop people drinking too much in pubs is for the police to enforce by removing licences. This part of Bournemouth seems like a job creation scheme to keep the police in work. You can't blame them cos as soon as they clean the area up they'll say we don't need so many police and close down the station. Catch 22

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beachcomber1 says...
10:18am Mon 5 Mar 12

a sense of perspective - large numbers of people go out for a night out in town and have a great time with no fuss. given how many do so, then an average of one, repeat one!!! incident a night is hardly something to get in a lather about.

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Scoty2hotty says...
10:26am Mon 5 Mar 12

How about a new cinema?

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Derf says...
10:31am Mon 5 Mar 12

So figures that by the collators own admission are 'Not precise' and encompass an area 'Near' this road, make the road itself the 6th most dangerous street!

I'm sure if we lump in towns 'near' Bournemouth (say Weymouth, Southampton, Salisbury etc) we can then say with certainty that Bournemouth has a very bad crime rate and should be avoided!

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uvox44 says...
10:35am Mon 5 Mar 12

will someone please tell me why the police/council NEVER enforce the existing law that states that it is illegal to serve alcohol to someone who is already drunk? Surely stopping people getting totally smashed would better than dealing with the consequences after-maybe someone from the police or council would tell me why this is never done?

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Dave2207 says...
11:32am Mon 5 Mar 12

Is this a ploy to get Bournemouth city status, by acting like a city, with drunken, violent behaviour in the town centre?

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The Seasider says...
11:46am Mon 5 Mar 12

The answer is licensing visits. The Council must ensure that the Police Licensing team is down there every Friday and Saturday checking INSIDE the premises for underage drinking, allowing drunken behaviour or serving to people who are drunk. The law already exists to deal with all of this, it just needs robust enforcement. It wont take the police long to identify which bars/ pubs/ clubs are well run, and which need to be prosecuted.

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Arjay says...
11:54am Mon 5 Mar 12

Sigh.......the reasons are not exactly rocket science... You only have to look at the history of the problems caused by easy access to alcohol, over the past 150 years or so, and realise that the introduction of fairly strict licencing laws, during the early part of the 20 century, has been the most effective solution to date.

So what do we do? .... virtually remove all those restrictions.

That was a good idea!!!!....

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Bournemouthstorm says...
11:56am Mon 5 Mar 12

Controversial But True wrote:
Bournemouth???

Little retirement town by the sea???

No, a dirty, run down and uncontrolled town where the council only spend on idiotic projects and not the locals!

Maybe if there was something for the natives to do except drink....like more drug rehabs perhaps!!

Council and councellors, it's your shout. The public never have a say!!!!
You obviously don't get out much do you? I don't know what utopia you live, do enlighten us? This is one road in Bournemouth and not a representation of the whole town. I think you will find a lot of the idiots that do insist on having a punch up after binge drinking are not natives. The natives are wise enough to not go to this part of town of an evening. I have visited many towns and cities with my job, obviously you have not otherwise you will know that on comparison Bournemouth is definitely not a dirty, run down and uncontrolled town. Bournemouth has it problems like most towns but most towns have a lot more. I totally agree with a late night levy with the money raise only going to extra police resources in the area that money is taken from.

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Redgolfer says...
12:57pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Linguist wrote:
"The statistics showed there were 203 violent crimes on or near Fir Vale Road between January, 2011 and November ,2011."

These are Dorset Police records of cases of assault and actual bodily harm on Fir Vale Road.

2006: 110

2007: 95

2008: 57

2009: 68

2010: 53

2011: 57"

Put these two facts from above together and what do they tell us?
So Mr Filer, having made the decision to remove Taxis from this area in November 2010 are you now pleased that the level of violent crimes has increased and WHY will you not see that your continued stance on keeping taxis out of the road after 20.30 will again result in more violence.
If trouble starts in the clubs in that street then security remove them on to the streets and then they have a long walk to get themselves away from trouble and the violence will continue but as you are never down on the streets at that time of night you would not know, so your trial period has FAILED to curb the violence as been proved by the 203 crimes in your trial period for removing the taxis, re-instate them now and admit you were WRONG.

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Bournefre says...
1:16pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Those figures seem to say that the number of cases of assault and ABH have actually reduced quite significantly. Remember 'public order offences' are not just hoodies rioting in the streets but any incident of 'acting in a manner likely to cause distress or intimidation' in a public place, which is down to the interpretation of the arresting officer. The fact is that late at night Fir Vale road is full of, shall we say, 'drunken dimwits' who don't necessarily mean anyone any harm, but the police can boost their arrest rates by going down there and telling the drunken dimwits to lower their voices, tie their shoelaces, walk on the pavement etc. Rozzer gets told to go out and 'catch some real criminals', and there's another arrest in the bag. If the police have to do this to keep their arrest rate up, Bournemouth must actually be quite a safe place.

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BmthNewshound says...
3:11pm Mon 5 Mar 12

There must have been some sort of mistake, the thinktank must have got it wrong. Bournemouth doesn't have a problem with its night time economy, and we've got a purple flag to prove it.

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BarrHumbug says...
3:14pm Mon 5 Mar 12

I say bring in Prohibition, didn't do the americans any harm and it was a positive boost to the organised crime industry!

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moldy john mole says...
3:42pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Iv;e seen they coming out of the benefit office with giros
only last Tuesday
singing and whistling and waving giros
All whistling and singing should be banned on Tuesdays

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Frank28 says...
3:45pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Number 6 on the list of shame. If there really were problems in Fir Vale Road, the Licensing Magistrates would have already modified the opening hours of licensed venues.

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l'anglais says...
4:15pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Alcohol (profit seekers) and violence go hand in hand.
Get a grip of the Barmen serving people who are inebriated then you might start making inroads.
This would mean a reduction in Bar and Night Club owners profit.
Which would mean a reduction in less tax revenue paid by these businesses.
So is it Alcohol or profit seeking through the excess sale of alcohol that produces violent crime?

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glennzilla says...
4:27pm Mon 5 Mar 12

beachcomber1 wrote:
a sense of perspective - large numbers of people go out for a night out in town and have a great time with no fuss. given how many do so, then an average of one, repeat one!!! incident a night is hardly something to get in a lather about.
Precisely!!!

The four venues in this stretch of road, Lava Ignite, Chili Whites, Bliss and the Mary Shelley have a combined capacity of over 4000 and are full most friday and saturday nights. Therefore 203 violent crimes represents just 0.05% of the volume of weekend revellers alone. If we are generous and say that the detection rate is just 1% then that leaves 95% not involved in violent crime. I think the Police and the authorities should recognise these 95+% and thank them for not stretching their rescources further!

Sunny Sharma, owner of the restaurant Ciao in Old Christchurch Road, said:“It’s a shame. When we opened eight years ago there were lots of nice restaurants here, now it is all kebab houses.” I would guess that his neighbouring restaurants such as Lavant, Indian lounge, Alcatraz Brasserie, Saray, Pizza Express The Mandarin, Eye Of The Tiger, Pera Rose, Cuccini's etc would hope that his CCTV is better than his eyesight!

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ben111 says...
4:34pm Mon 5 Mar 12

this a product of our modern lives perpetuated by the need for money and greed the council set super high busines rates, and young people that feel contained release them selves through alcohol , this way of life is only a continuation of the 80's when everything was done to excess making money partying and so on , its almost been bread into the psycie of people . plus people who cant afford to go out sit at home and get drunk just to blot out the mundane boardem of modern life .....

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glennzilla says...
4:37pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Redgolfer wrote:
Linguist wrote:
"The statistics showed there were 203 violent crimes on or near Fir Vale Road between January, 2011 and November ,2011."

These are Dorset Police records of cases of assault and actual bodily harm on Fir Vale Road.

2006: 110

2007: 95

2008: 57

2009: 68

2010: 53

2011: 57"

Put these two facts from above together and what do they tell us?
So Mr Filer, having made the decision to remove Taxis from this area in November 2010 are you now pleased that the level of violent crimes has increased and WHY will you not see that your continued stance on keeping taxis out of the road after 20.30 will again result in more violence.
If trouble starts in the clubs in that street then security remove them on to the streets and then they have a long walk to get themselves away from trouble and the violence will continue but as you are never down on the streets at that time of night you would not know, so your trial period has FAILED to curb the violence as been proved by the 203 crimes in your trial period for removing the taxis, re-instate them now and admit you were WRONG.
Redgolfer I agree wholeheartedly.
However according to the Police we (the taxi trade) have to share part of the blame. They had grave concerns that SOME drivers, in their keeness to feed the ranks, were entering from Glen Fern rd much too fast therefore this is their solution to avoid a KSI. Again it's the few spoiling it for the many!

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Clunge says...
6:49pm Mon 5 Mar 12

It is far worse than the statistics show. That only shows what gets recorded, a large number of those involved in punch-ups have the sense to leave the area long before the Police arrive, mostly ending up at A and E with fat lips and black eyes. The Police also issue dispersal notices like confetti to dozens of yoblets each weekend because it's simply impossible to arrest everyone as they are outnumbered close to 1000:1 in the summer. The CCTV is run by the same Council that grants the licences, maybe the Council will tell us how many fights their Operators see each year per street, then we can compare that with the Official figures. Close the pubs at midnight and the clubs and kebab shops at 2am. Bournemouth at night is a disgrace.

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tictactaylor says...
8:38pm Mon 5 Mar 12

In my young days the Maison Royale complex existed, the biggest discotheque in Europe, at one stage. It suffered a lot too from similar issues, and that was way back in the 70s! One road, hits headlines, hardly the whole town. Try Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square at weekends, I stay well clear here in London. All cities have problems today in such issues, it is nationwide. Agree, more should be done for locals though, and what the Council spend money on. They seem to like buying white elephants!

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moldy john mole says...
9:01pm Mon 5 Mar 12

You should be made to live out here at Bere, I never hear or see a soul after 6pm,
by the time 2am arrives i been in bed 6hours.

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High Treason says...
9:28pm Mon 5 Mar 12

ben111 wrote:
this a product of our modern lives perpetuated by the need for money and greed the council set super high busines rates, and young people that feel contained release them selves through alcohol , this way of life is only a continuation of the 80's when everything was done to excess making money partying and so on , its almost been bread into the psycie of people . plus people who cant afford to go out sit at home and get drunk just to blot out the mundane boardem of modern life .....
Mundane boredom is because many are to lazy to find something interesting to do. They want entertaining and are to brain dead to entertain themselves. There are hundreds of interestingg things to do and get involved in but they need to get off their lazy behinds, turn off the telly and find an interest.

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tictactaylor says...
9:40pm Mon 5 Mar 12

High Treason wrote:
ben111 wrote:
this a product of our modern lives perpetuated by the need for money and greed the council set super high busines rates, and young people that feel contained release them selves through alcohol , this way of life is only a continuation of the 80's when everything was done to excess making money partying and so on , its almost been bread into the psycie of people . plus people who cant afford to go out sit at home and get drunk just to blot out the mundane boardem of modern life .....
Mundane boredom is because many are to lazy to find something interesting to do. They want entertaining and are to brain dead to entertain themselves. There are hundreds of interestingg things to do and get involved in but they need to get off their lazy behinds, turn off the telly and find an interest.
Don't agree, many have no idea of what an interest is. Like today, many use a computer, but only recently have been shown through a Sinclair ZX style mini comp' in schools, you can actually program one. Everything is purchased for consumption that someone else made, not the case in my young days, you had control to make something. Today, all people are conditioned into a lifestyle, cannot think for themselves, and often drink or drugs are the best alternative to boredom, they are not lazy, just know no different in life, sad actually.

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Wesoblind says...
10:33pm Mon 5 Mar 12

ive said it befor and ill say it again, GET RID OF DRINKING BARS/CLUBS bring back the old nightclubs from the late 90s where you went out for the music not just to get wasted and have a fight with someone because they looked at you a funny way!!!!

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tictactaylor says...
10:57pm Mon 5 Mar 12

Wesoblind, have to agree, but quick point, pubs have all but gone in many areas. Corner shops selling alcohol ending up in the hands of kids and bars that don't seem to care if problems arise from selling alcohol to people already intoxicated seems the norm.

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eyeinthesky says...
12:00am Tue 6 Mar 12

"Bournemouth Council has longstanding concerns about night-time violence and the image it gives Bournemouth."

And who keeps issuing the licenses?

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corozin says...
2:24am Tue 6 Mar 12

So loads of drunks are having punch ups late at night with each other are they?

So what? Why do I find myself not even caring?

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retry69 says...
7:34am Tue 6 Mar 12

moldy john mole wrote:
You should be made to live out here at Bere, I never hear or see a soul after 6pm,
by the time 2am arrives i been in bed 6hours.
Im so jealous my dad bless him was from Bere lovely place.Anyway back to the topic nearly all commenteers know the problem and what steps need to be taken lets just wait for the council and councillors to catch up- eventually

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Lord Spring says...
8:09am Tue 6 Mar 12

And you all thought Boscombe was a rough place we are civilised here.

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ashleycross says...
9:11am Tue 6 Mar 12

Frank28 wrote:
Number 6 on the list of shame. If there really were problems in Fir Vale Road, the Licensing Magistrates would have already modified the opening hours of licensed venues.
I think you'll find that the licensing magistrates don't actually live in or near this road

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mattys says...
12:38pm Tue 6 Mar 12

Bournemouth Town Centre is somewhat of a jungle on a Thursday or Saturday night- the amount of punch ups I have seen is phenomenal. Having moved up to Preston recently, and ventured into the town centre- which had an area next to it supposedly with the worst crime rate in England- and been along the infamous Church St, it became clear to me that the answer to Bournemouth's lawlessness at night is simply a lack of police. It's quite stunning, actually- up here, police clearly realized that the incredibly high amount of violent crime needed addressing, and thus one will see many, many police in the town centre to help combat the drunken fools. Were Preston Town Centre policed as badly as Bournemouth it would be a complete war zone, an absolute no go area, so therein lies the answer- get more police on the streets of Bournemouth at night and more people will be deterred from committing acts of violence.

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portia6 says...
5:22pm Tue 6 Mar 12

When I Lived near Ashley Rd
Upper Parkstone there were
problems especially around
Co-op area The Parkstone pub

not to mention the sex shop








Have you been down Ashley
Rd Parkstone lately? Its the
same problems with Alcohol there and also a sex
shop on the corner of Consort
Close!









corner of Consort Close!

Close!

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moldy john mole says...
8:10am Wed 7 Mar 12

The only problem outside the co op is the people fighting over the reduced prices on their delicious foods finest store in the south.
You Buy One
You Get One Free

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wallydown says...
5:03pm Wed 7 Mar 12

Closing Fir Vale road to taxis was a massive mistake by this council,it takes transport access away from the businesses there ,a recently opened italian restaurant has closed (at what cost ?) a new chinese all you can eat - Days - is going to struggle for the same reason. when its raining and as said before anyone finds themselves in a sticky spot - as happens from time to time - that they cant just jump in a cab and get away,plus cab drivers are sober observers who can alert the police when issues arise .equally in poor weather who wants to be walking 100 yards either way to get a taxi theyve called to find someone else has already grabbed it ? clearly the person making this ruling doesnt use Bournemouth at night and the descision is not supported by the people who do so what is it for and why dont the businesses the road closure affects complain about it ? they pay high taxes to be located there but arent given fair exposure to customers who might spot a desire to go there as passing trade in a taxi
the tax

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praelis says...
7:30pm Wed 7 Mar 12

bournemouth is not a family friendly or older generation friendly town anymore due to the lack of concern by our council as to the welfare of its residents and the fact that most attractions here are aimed at the student or young generation. also when the nightclub was the cage and zoo, there was not quite as much trouble as nowadays. i brought my then 4 year old son up in a flat round the corner in old xchurch road and we could wander the streets in the evening quite safely.nowadays i cringe just to think of having to walk up there. at one time prinbce harry used to attend the youngsters nightclub in the building that used to hold the dinosaur museum, and i could remember the thrill of seeing all his cortege outside my front door. nowadays he would probably have to bring an even bigger one.for bournemouth to remain in my heart as a family friendly place they ned to get back to the realistic basics of tourism and stop wasting money. do they realisew we have a miners hotel for the older generation who used to work down the mines in wales?

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gameon says...
9:22pm Wed 7 Mar 12

portia6 wrote:
When I Lived near Ashley Rd
Upper Parkstone there were
problems especially around
Co-op area The Parkstone pub

not to mention the sex shop








Have you been down Ashley
Rd Parkstone lately? Its the
same problems with Alcohol there and also a sex
shop on the corner of Consort
Close!









corner of Consort Close!

Close!
And whats wrong with the sex shop ??only problems i saw was when there top sellers said batteries included and they wasnt a couple of dissapointed clients that was all. SMC over the road sorted them out with some 12volters !!!!

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InvsiBle says...
12:15am Thu 8 Mar 12

Controversial But True wrote:
Bournemouth???

Little retirement town by the sea???

No, a dirty, run down and uncontrolled town where the council only spend on idiotic projects and not the locals!

Maybe if there was something for the natives to do except drink....like more drug rehabs perhaps!!

Council and councellors, it's your shout. The public never have a say!!!!
Exactly right a bunch of crooks taking money off the developers! From the fountain in Boscombe, the surf reef, the imax, the palm trees, Dave Wells granted planning for everything, the list is endless like the councillors are taking!

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