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Frustrated traders say an influx of 24/7 off-licences, mountains of rubbish and fly-tipping and shoplifting are driving customers away from Bearwood in their droves.

Businesses in Bearwood, on the border of Smethwick and Birmingham , say the problems have gotten so bad they are considering leaving for good.

Abuzaffar Sonde, owner of Islamic store Ar-Raqib in Bearwood Road, is one shop owner debating whether to remain open – saying a rise in crime and the ‘wrong crowds’ were driving Bearwood in the wrong direction.

He said the influx of late-night shops and takeaways combined with rising crime and anti-social behaviour – particularly daily shoplifting, pickpocketing, begging as well as drug-taking – was giving Bearwood a poor reputation as unsafe and dangerous and that

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