Will Surbiton's 24-hour McDonald's become trouble hotspot? (From Surrey Comet)

Will Surbiton's 24-hour McDonald's become trouble hotspot?

7:00am Sunday 23rd August 2009 in News By Kerry Grove

McDonald’s in Surbiton could become a magnet for late night drunken trouble makers when it opens 24 hours-a-day from this weekend, neighbours fear.

The Victoria Road restaurant is the first takeaway in the borough to be granted an all-night licence, after the council said it received no objections.

A McDonald’s spokesman said Surbiton was chosen because it does not have a reputation for antisocial behaviour and staff are trained in conflict resolution and security.

But Councillor Bart Ricketts, who lives nearby, has been left dismayed after his concerns about late night crime and public nuisance were apparently ignored, and the licence was granted behind closed doors.

Safer neighbourhood team sergeant Darren Mercer said he could not object because figures showed the police had only been called there eight times in the past year, with only four calls relating to McDonald’s itself.

He said: “I had no objections to it because I had nothing to base my objections on.

"The licence will be reviewable. We will keep an eye on it and if it brings a lot of trouble to Surbiton, it will be revised.”

The McDonald's spokesman added: “There are a range of people we hope it will appeal to and it’s in a good location with the station and the bus terminals. There will be people returning from a night out and it’s a residential area with a large student population.”

The next-nearest 24 hour McDonald’s are in Woking and Wandsworth Bridge, although later openings are planned for many more branches.

Surbiton has been granted a 24-hour licence all week, but will only use it on Friday and Saturday nights at first.

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