EARLSTON residents are objecting to plans from a takeaway to extend its opening hours, due to concerns over littering, anti-social behaviour and ‘boy racers’.

The owner of Alfonso’s, Alfonso Crolla, wants to extend the opening hours of his business by 45 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays and by an extra 30 minutes the rest of the week. 

Currently, the takeaway closes at 11.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 11pm on other days, and the new plans would see the  shop’s closing time extended to 12.15am and 11.30pm respectively

Additionally, Mr Crolla wants to keep his business open until 1am during the Earlston Civic Week and when rugby sevens tournaments are being held. 

However, nearby residents have raised concerns over revellers urinating in the street and vomiting onto windowsills after using the takeaway. 

One anonymous objector writes: “The sevens and civic week are a living hell on the main street and it’s a little bit of comfort knowing that when the chip shop closes things quieten down, but extending the opening time will mean we have to endure it for many hours more. 

“Customers sit on my doorstep to eat their tea which disturbs my family, and the dogs are constantly barking as they can hear people on the doorstep.

“Food waste and papers are left on my step or worse people use the doorway as a toilet. 

“My windowsill is used to leave chip wrappers on, and my plant pots have been vomited in, resulting in my plants being killed off.”

Another objector writes: “There is excessive noise late at night. People buy their food and sit in their cars under our bedroom window with the engine running, especially in the winter. 

“This would wake us up at an even later hour than it already does now, from revving motors, loud music and slamming doors.

“Unsociable behaviour during the sevens weekend seems to be a right of passage for our young people to get very drunk and throw their food wrappers over our property, urinate in groups up against our gates and house and to exhibit raucous behaviour such as fighting under our bedroom window. 

“Many residents choose to leave their property for the night to escape this disturbance because it is so bad.”

A third objector writes: “Not only is the high street a residential area, it does have a high amount of traffic which already parks erratically when people get their chips and fish, and the propensity of boy racers is already high enough to disturb neighbours and myself with a young family. 

“Our local pubs close at 11am and this is in line with Alfonso’s. The late hours would only make antisocial behaviour worse. 

“Who needs food at 11.30pm on a weeknight, when most of us are asleep?”

The application will be heard at an open meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s civic government licensing committee, at 10am, Friday September 20, at the council’s Newtown St Boswells headquarters.