“At this point, we might as well leave the door open to save on repair costs,” said one High Street shop owner
SHOPKEEPERS on Llandaff High Street are calling for urgent help as they struggle with repeated break-ins and mounting repair costs.
Blush Hair salon has been targeted three times in the past six weeks. In the most recent attack, a boulder was thrown through the front window and just £4 was stolen from the till.
“All we could do was board it up for a week, so it got really cold in here; and now we’ve kept the boulder as a keepsake,” said Sarah Chapman, an employee at Blush.
“At this point, we might as well leave the door open to save on repair costs.”
Shopkeepers say that the lack of CCTV on High Street has made their businesses easy targets.
Just across the road from Blush, Hair Flair was hit last September when a motorbike was rammed through its shopfront, with the thieves again making off with just £4 from the till.
“We don’t even keep money in the till, but we still had to put wooden boards up over Christmas, and then we had to replace the entire front window,” said Janet Dyer, a long-time employee at Hair Flair and lifelong Llandaff resident.
“Over Christmas, we painted a Santa face on the boarded-up window just to make the best out of a bad situation,” she added.
Local councillor Sean Driscoll, who previously ran a shop on the street and has also been a victim of break-ins, described the situation as devastating for traders.
“These crimes are not just financially damaging but also emotionally draining for business owners,” he said.
Mr Driscoll recently submitted a bid for more CCTV on High Street, but was told by Cardiff Council that resources are being prioritised for areas with higher crime levels.
A spokesperson for Cardiff Council said: “There are no permanent cameras on Llandaff High Street, and the council does not have any current plans to install CCTV in the area. We install and maintain cameras where funding is available.”
Protective shutters are one option for shopkeepers, but there is only one type of shutter allowed by the council and they are not a popular choice.
“Adding shutters would detract from the prestigious and classic aesthetic of the area,” said a statement from Llandaff Traders Association, which has also called on the council and police to address the issue.
Mr Driscoll acknowledged the expenses involved: “Having had internal open grid shutters installed in my shops, I know these can come at great cost.”
Janet Dyer from Hair Flair said, “We don’t want shutters because people will only come along and spray paint them anyway, it’s a High Street, usually even a ring doorbell would do.
“We shouldn’t have to bear the cost of protecting ourselves when these crimes affect the whole community.”
Blush and Hair Flair are now exploring the installation of their own CCTV, but both feel more support is needed from the local authorities.
“We have had to take things into our own hands at this point,” said Sarah Chapman of Blush.
“We’ve reported everything, shared our new CCTV footage, and even provided photos, but we’ve still heard nothing.”
The Llandaff Village Traders Association has now called on Cardiff Council and South Wales Police to install CCTV cameras and improve street lighting.
“Adequate lighting and CCTV coverage could go a long way in making us feel safer and protecting our livelihoods,” they said.
Shopkeepers hope that authorities will take swift action to implement measure that will deter crime and ensure the safety of Llandaff’s residents and businesses.
