Ginger Jerk Hut: Complaints of customers drinking, smoking weed, urinating and fighting outside Leeds takeaway

Ward councillors in Chapeltown have written a joint letter in opposition to a retrospective planning application for Ginger Jerk Hut on Chapeltown Road due to alleged “anti-social behaviour” it has caused for local residents since it opened last summer.

The three ward councillors for the area – Coun Jane Dowson, Coun Mohammad Rafique and Coun Eileen Taylor – have said that since the takeaway opened last year there have been “cars driving erratically” outside and that music is played so loud that “windows at nearby houses vibrate”. They said they have also received “disgusting” reports of customers urinating in back streets and one instance of a customer defecating in the street.

The manager of the takeaway, Ches Clarke, insisted that the disruption complained about was caused by a separate bar that has since shut down. He also said that the issues of anti-social behaviour and “erratic driving” are rife around the area and “nothing to do with us”.

The takeaway opened last year but the application to convert the garage into a Caribbean food takeaway was only submitted this month.

In their joint letter to the planning authority, the three councillors write: “This ‘takeaway’ is currently open from 10am until 4am the following day and there are people stood on the street at all hours of the day and night drinking, smoking weed, swearing, fighting.

"There are cars driving erratically and parking obstructively. There is loud shouting, swearing and singing. The music is so loud that windows at nearby houses vibrate.

"Residents have also reported the disgusting behaviour of customers using the back street to empty their bladder and on one occasion soiling the street with their bowels.”

In response, Mr Clarke said that while the application states that the business is based on Chapeltown Road, it is actually run from a garage to the back of the building facing on to Mexborough Road.

He said that the complaints of anti-social behaviour relate to a bar on Chapeltown Road that closed down in recent weeks. He said: “It’s nothing to do with us. On the weekend they used to have functions and events. We would close at 11pm and they would continue until 3am. We’ve now got a bad reputation for it.

"Since we’ve opened there’s been people driving erratically on every road nearby and they park up and drink or smoke weed. It’s nothing to do with us.”