A local café owner has slammed Sheffield Council’s decision not to put bollards outside her café after her shop front was smashed twice in four years due to car accidents.
Totley Deli and Café owner Sheri Haslehurst has criticised the council after they rejected her proposal to install bollards or raise the curb edge on Baslow Road.
Ms Haslehurst said: “I think it’s waiting for somebody to actually get killed and I don’t think you can put a price on that.
“The first time it happened, I was told that it was very unlikely it was going to happen again, but it has happened again and in only four years so the possibility of it happening again is quite high.
“It’s twice we’ve gotten away without anyone being killed, maybe the third time we’re not going to be so lucky.”
The most recent incident took place on 29 December and caused emotional and financial distress for Ms Haslehurst.
She said: “It’s devastating because you’ve been through it once already and you put everything that you’ve got into trying to make a business work and then something like that happens.
“The whole front of the shop was demolished, there were three fridges that were smashed, the counter was smashed, the shelving was knocked up, the walls were boarded up. So you look as though you are closed.
“At that time of year, it was absolutely freezing so we were all freezing in the shop and you try to get cleared up and get open as quick as you can, because it’s your livelihood.”
“Emotionally, it’s been horrible, because I’ve been trying to deal with an insurance company and I still haven’t been paid out in full.
“I’ve had to put my savings in to get in that shop back up and as quickly as possible.
“It’s been really stressful and to do it twice is more than anybody should be expected to do.”
The council rejected the idea of installing bollards due to accessibility issues.
Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Co-Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, said: “The response is it’s not possible for us to install a bollard or pedestrian railing, both must be installed a certain distance from the curb edge and there is not enough pavement width to allow the installation of these structures while maintaining the pavement width to ensure that all users so that’s mobility scooters, pushchairs and prams can still access the area.”
However this rejection was met with scepticism from Deborah Leonard, a member of the public, who witnessed the event and started the petition to raise the curb or install bollards.
Ms Leonard said: “There is a substantial litter bin on the same stretch of pavement so I don’t accept that bollards which are a lot less voluminous in size than a huge litter bin on the same stretch of pavement.”
The idea of raising the curb was rejected as it would cause water run-off into the shops on the road, however the council has said there will be a budget of £10,000 to resolve the issue.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Andrew Sangar said: “It’s not easy and we are going to work with you to find the right solution because clearly we don’t want a situation where cars end up in the front of shops.
“It’s terrible, it happened twice, I don’t know what the solution is but there is a sum of money that we’re passing over to next year and we are working with council officers to get the right solution.”
