A GREENMOUNT pharmacy is questioning Bury Council’s ruling preventing it from putting down its shutters after a series of break-ins.

The pharmacy is based inside the Mace store which was broken into on February 3 and October 18. The front door was smashed open and stock, including cigarettes, and money, was taken.

Sufiyan Patel, manager at Manor Pharmacy, Greenmount, said: “The situation is frustrating because we are powerless to do anything. The council has simply said that we are not allowed to put the shutters down because they are not in keeping with the area. We have got a new shutter on the front of the building that we cannot even use.”

Manor Pharmacy said it cannot understand the council’s decision and has taken issue, claiming several other businesses along the same road have their shutters in use.

It also claims that the pharmacy and adjoining Mace store are at greater risk of burglary than other nearby shuttered businesses due to the valuable nature of its stock.

Claire Taylor, HR and operations manager at Manor Pharmacy, said: “At the moment there is nothing we can do, without the shutters we are just having to go on as we are. If you go down the street there are other shops with shutters and we want to know why the council will allow that for one building and not another. The break-ins prove that the shutters are needed.”

Bury Council responded by saying that there was no open planning issue between Manor Pharmacy and the council, and advised Manor to speak to a council planning advisor to discuss further options and find a mutually acceptable solution.