DRUGS wars in a Bournemouth road have led to death threats and violence against shopkeepers and residents.

Shop boss Michael Sollinger was told “snitches get stitches” when he called police after a string of incidents in St Michael’s Road at The Triangle.

The married father-of-three has suffered a string of threats against himself and his business.

And CCTV footage from his general store and off-licence reveals the extent of the problem.

Footage shows a man attempting to smash the front window of his shop, ANJ Off Licence, and shows another being shoved into the gutter outside the shop.

Now he has spoken out and urged the police to do more to tackle drugs problems in the area.

Michael, 37, and his wife, Ulku, have owned the shop for seven years. They have three children aged 12, eight and three.

He said: “There has always been a problem with drugs but it has been getting much worse recently.

“Dealers have come into the shop trying to sell drugs to my staff and they become abusive when I ban them.

“I have been threatened with knives and my staff are regularly threatened. We are open until 3am so I always make sure there are at least two staff on duty.”

He said he and his family used to live on the premises but added: “This is not the sort of area I want to bring my children up in. I don’t want them to see what goes on here so I tell my wife not to bring them to the shop.”

Another business owner in the road said the problems in the area are ruining his business.

“I used to have people come from all over the county but they are shocked now when they get here” he said.

“A lot of people have stopped coming because there are always groups of drug dealers hanging around.”

Michael added: “There have always been dealers who are based here in Bournemouth but now there are more and more gangs coming down from London.

“They deal openly in the street and the groups threaten passers-by and also fight with each other.

“They hang around outside my shop and people think we are part of it.”

Bournemouth Neighbourhood Inspector Jon Wasey said: “We are fully aware of ongoing issues in the St Michael’s Road area. These are predominately linked to drug dealing and misuse.

“Our officers are working tirelessly to target and disrupt drug-related anti-social behaviour there.

“In the last year seven drug dealers have been arrested in the West Hill area, charged, convicted and jailed. Some of these live elsewhere and come to Bournemouth to sell drugs using the county lines network.

“We carry out daily proactive patrols in this area involving uniform and plain clothed officers and I would like to reassure members of the community that we are working closely with our partners in a bid to improve the area.”

Police have received a “number of reports” of incidents at ANJ, Insp Wasey said. A number of the reported incidents "involve one individual", he said.

An officer visited on Wednesday and an investigation is under way.