A BESIEGED shop owner has made a desperate call for “someone to take control” of errant youths who are making his life a misery by repeatedly targeting his business.

Ishwarlal Patel, 56, has run Woodside Food & Wine Store for nearly 30 years, but says gangs of young thugs have become “uncontrollable” over the past year and he has fallen victim to shop lifting, intimidation and racial abuse.

Now Mr Patel has released shocking CCTV footage showing just some of the torment he has faced while at the shop, in Trenholme Avenue, Woodside, Bradford,

He claimed that, while reports were being made to police, each case seemed to be closed and the problem continued.

“We’ve got CCTV footage and nothing seems to be done,” he said.

“It’s a ridiculous situation.”

He said he wanted to speak out after reading reports of burglaries in Wyke in yesterday’s Telegraph & Argus.

Overnight from Wednesday to Thursday morning, Ken Deli and Marshall’s Bakers, on Town Gate, were targeted by heartless thieves who trashed both stores in mindless raids.

Gareth Kendall, who runs Ken Deli, now says he does not see a long-term future for the business in the village.

Back in Woodside, Mr Patel said little things happen on a daily basis, but on Thursday a group banned for shoplifting made an “intimidating” return.

“We would not let them in,” he said. “We keep an eye on them.

“One of them took offence at that and started calling us names. One of them pushed me. He was looking for trouble, to start a fight. After that, I just called the police.”

He called for more patrols and added: “Someone should take control of the kids. Parents are not doing it. The parents just leave their kids to do what they want. It’s unacceptable. When you’re dealing with it every day, it gets wearing.

“We’ve had to ban little kids for foul language and for nuisance and anti-social behaviour. Then when you ban them, they hang around and sometimes throw stones at the shop window.”

And Mr Patel also revealed he had been on the receiving end of vile racial slurs - an issue he believes has got worse since last year’s Brexit vote.

He said: “They call us immigrants and are telling us to ‘get out of their country’.

“It’s a lot worse than it used to be, we need something doing about it.”

He added there had always been problems, but not to the extent is has now reached.

Another piece of CCTV footage, dating back to last year, shows two youths bursting into the shop and threatening staff with a large stick, before being forced to retreat when staff brandished a stick of their own and threw cans of food at them.

Angela Tait, Labour councillor for Royds, said there had been some problems some months ago, but it quietened down as a result of partnership work between police, youth workers and residents, however she acknowledged “new batches” of troublemakers do come along.

She also highlighted the Business Watch schemes, recently announced by Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, said Neighbourhood Watch schemes and said she would be meeting with the Neighbourhood Policing Team to raise issues cropping up across the ward.

Cllr Tait added there should be more of a police presence when people report things, but the justice system needs to play a bigger part.

Mrs Cummins said Business Watches will provide “a regular and powerful venue” for local businesses to raise their issues and concerns with senior police officers and council officers. She added: “Having faced a one third cut to their budgets in recent years, our hard working police are increasingly over-stretched. I will continue to fight for fair levels of funding for those who keep us safe.”

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Police have recorded a small number of crimes at this location this year in relation to shoplifting and abuse of staff. Work has been ongoing with partners to identify those involved in these matters and associated anti-social behaviour in the Woodside area and action has been taken against a number of individuals.”