Pub landlords have criticised Norwich City Council’s decision to stop locking the gates along the popular Riverside Walk at night saying it is a “security risk”.
The landlady of the Adam and Eve pub in Bishopsgate, Rita McCluskey, raised concerns after realising that the padlocks on the gates near her pub had been removed.
She said: "I'm really worried about this.
"I called the council about it when I realised and was told that they should still be getting locked at night.
"This is a security risk for the pub - we've already had some staff cars vandalised in our private car park."
Rita is also concerned about the safety of the Riverside Walk at night, now that it is being left open.
She added: "There is nothing stopping people from falling in the river at night when they are under the influence.
"It is an open bank.
"People are very vulnerable with that river walk."
CITY HALL STOPPED LOCKING GATES
A spokesman for Norwich City Council said that now, the only part of the Riverside Walk being locked at night is between Prince of Wales Road and Bishop Bridge.
This is a stretch of about half a mile with six gates dotted along the route.
This is "to avoid disturbance to residents" but the rest of the popular walkway - which is about 800m long and covers the area between the Red Lion Bishopsgate Pub and Whitefriars Bridge - is being left open.
This is around five gates that are no longer being locked at night.
'THEY'RE NOT LOCKING THEM HERE, EITHER'
However, despite the council's promise that the gates are being locked between Prince of Wales Road and the Red Lion Bishopsgate, this is disputed by the landlord of another pub.
He said: "We are worried that it might be a security risk for the pub if people have access to it from all angles during the night.
"I can imagine that it will cause a lot of anti-social behaviour and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a rise in crime in the area.
"People will go down there at night after having a few drinks - if it's not locked off then it would be very easy for them to fall into the river."
Folk living in the grounds of Norwich Cathedral have noticed that the gates along the Riverside Walk near their homes are either being "sporadically" left unlocked at night or locked up for days at a time.
One local said: "I thought the gates were being locked due to concerns about muggings and attacks along the river at night.
"It is supposed to be there for security and safety, but they're often left open."
GATES LEFT UNLOCKED AROUND THE CITY
In November, Norwich City Council revealed that several parks and cemeteries around the city were being left unlocked at night.
Alarm was raised by people living near Waterloo Park in NR3 after a couple of stolen bikes were found damaged in the grounds.
Local man Edd Watkinson, who had his Vespa recovered from the park, said: "I think this policy will undoubtedly lead to an increase in vandalism and anti-social behaviour."
He said that local people were looking to set up a rota to lock up the park at night to help deter any further criminal activity.
Norwich City Council has not reversed this decision, despite these fears being raised.
A spokesman for City Hall said that the decision "is common with several other local authorities elsewhere.
"We will continue to monitor the situation in response to thefts or anti-social behaviour in partnership with the police and our own Community Safety team," he added.
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