SOUTHBOURNE traders say crime has risen in the area with a number of attacks on businesses in the high street.

Matthew Smith, owner of Yemanja Therapy, said that he came into work to find that the window of his shop in Southbourne Grove was smashed in the early hours of Friday, January 29.

He added: "The big chain places don't seem to have a problem. It seems to be the small independent businesses that are affected. It has crossed my mind to give up.

"I got in at 8.30am and there was glass everywhere, but they didn't take anything. They would have had to have been quite forceful to break the glass.

"I've got to fork out for a £250 excess to fix the window and I don't know where that money will come from as I am not earning a wage yet."

One lady, who asked not to be named from Lady Mary's, also based on Southbourne Grove, said: "They broke the windows here twice last year. It's an ongoing problem and we need a police presence here.

"It's got worse with shoplifting, beggars and drug dealing in the street. I think the council have pumped so much money into Boscombe that they have to go somewhere else.

"Last time it was one of our smaller windows, which cost us £400. We ended the week poorer than them because all of the profits that week went into paying for the window to be replaced."

The Daily Echo reported in December how thieves smashed a window in The Dorset Children's Foundation's shop on Carbery Row before stealing the cash float and a charity pot containing an estimated £300.

Blair Crawford, ward councillor for Southbourne West, said: "Sadly there have been a number of attacks on shops in Southbourne, but the area is generally quite quiet. We are not talking about the higher levels of crime, so when this sort of thing happens, it can be a shock to the system.

"If we started seeing shops shutting after this, then it will be like these people have won. Collectively we need to take a stand against this and then these things will happen less."

A Dorset Police spokesperson said that police are continuing their investigations. Anyone with information can call Dorset Police on 101.