A CAFÉ owner claims that parts of the town centre are now “dead” and “dangerous” as drug takers "shoot up" behind his property every night.

Adam Simsek, who runs Town Café in Deansgate, says he regularly finds people sitting next to the flat above his café leaving its tenant scared for his safety.

Mr Simsek said that the visitors are creating heaps of litter, leaving needles among other drug paraphernalia behind his café.

He said: “Every night I’m seeing them. Sometimes it’s disgusting to see people just sitting out there and using the needles. It’s very dangerous. We are never safe in the town centre.”

The 53-year-old struggled to find someone to rent the flat above his café because there are often three or four people sitting by the entrance.

He said that staff were forced to close the café for a whole day after thieves removed part of the gutter on the roof causing a leak when it rained the next morning.

He said: “They called the police, who said after two days they would come. But if you park your car the traffic warden will be there in a second. It’s very difficult to do business in Bolton now. Maybe I should think about my future here now.”

Mr Simsek wants someone to take responsibility for the issue and believes that it should be the local authority to whom he pays council tax and business rates.

Now he is taking matters into his own hands by installing a gate at the bottom of the stairs which will cost him £700. Because it is private land, however, it is his responsibility to secure the area and keep it clean of litter.

The Astley Bridge resident said that business has suffered on that side of the town centre over the past few years as competitors open elsewhere.

Mr Simsek added: “I’m not benefiting anything from the Ironman event and the food festival. Everybody says it’s a dead end here. Nobody comes at all here.”

The café is located close to Crompton Place and is part of the Church Wharf area which the council says are “key development sites” in the town centre masterplan.

But Mr Simsek says that in the 18 years he has run the business, he has seen “18 projects” proposed and nothing has happened.

Cllr Ayub Iqbal said that he would visit the café which is in his ward and try to address Mr Simsek’s concerns.

He said: “We are aware of issues about development in that part of town. It’s going to take time. It’s just a question of time.”

A council spokesman added: “We are committed to long term change in the area and we will be talking to local businesses as proposals emerge. An empty unit near the café is currently being refurbished for a new tenant and another new business is due to open shortly, which will hopefully help to drive footfall into the area.

“We are aware that have been some issues with discarded needles, which our Sharps team have removed.”

Anyone who has concerns about drug offences should contact Greater Manchester Police on 101, and in an emergency 999.