Business bosses in Prince of Wales Road are calling for more police support as a wave of anti-social behaviour strikes the busy city street.
Staff in venues and shops in the nightclub district have reported being harassed and abused by "the same seven or eight people" at all times of the day.
These thuggish acts have included shoplifting from the Tesco Express, racial slurs and fighting outside kebab shops and bars.
"This group is terrorising our road day and night," said one business owner - who asked to remain anonymous through fear of retribution.
"They're stealing, fighting and threatening my staff. I've even seen them harass members of the public.
"This is the main route into Norwich from the train station and people are having to cross the road to avoid being hassled.
"Police used to patrol this area a lot more often. And we need them to start doing that again.
"It's absolutely awful."
Speculation has surrounded the source of the problems, but some believe homeless people in the area have been responsible for much of the trouble.
Homelessness charity St Martins has a hub in the area which attempts to help people get their lives back on track.
A member of staff at a local bar said: "I've been working here for nine years and it's definitely got worse in that time.
"We've seen more issues since that hub opened in 2020.
"I've been threatened both physically and verbally. One guy even said he'd murder me.
"I've seen staff being abused racially and I've watched this group blatantly shoplift from the Tesco Express.
"We've had to call out police multiple times.
"They really need to crack down on this and it's getting out of hand."
Dr Jan Sheldon, chief executive of St Martins, acknowledged some of the people the charity supports "have a dependency on alcohol", but added it was "unfair to assume that the people we support are responsible for the problems experienced on Prince of Wales Road".
She added: "Team members from the Somewhere Safe to Stay Hub hold regular monthly meetings with the beat officers to review any issues of concern in the local area and to discuss whether any of the issues of concern that have been identified are linked to the services delivered by St Martins.
"Some of the people we support do have a dependency on alcohol, so on occasions, they will be buying alcohol from nearby shops.
"Our service in that location provides emergency assessment accommodation to people who would otherwise be sleeping rough. Our focus is to support people to get their lives back on track and move on to more permanent secure accommodation.
"If any businesses in the Prince of Wales Road have concerns they would like to discuss with us we are always willing to listen and take action where it is appropriate to do so."
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Police have been called out to the area on multiple occasions in recent months - with one incident in February seeing officers respond to reports of a group of people fighting.
Despite one man needing medical treatment "due to an accidental injury", police found no offences had been committed.
Sergeant Chris Clay, who regularly patrols the area, said officers "have used a number of methods to address anti-social behaviour".
This has included "Community Protection Warnings and Community Protection Notices which help address the behaviours".
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He added: "Offences such as shoplifting are taken seriously and we target prolific offenders and have a number of Criminal Behaviour Orders in place which allows us to prevent them entering specific shops.”
Ben Price, city councillor for Thorpe Hamlet and the Green candidate for Norwich North at the next general election, was keen to reassure city folk that police "are really committed to trying to make the city safe" - despite being "overworked and underfunded".
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"Prince of Wales Road is the gateway to the city," he said. "It's a real gem with so much potential.
"Green councillors have continually represented the views of local residents by calling on the Labour-run council to clean up the area and develop a long-term plan for its rejuvenation. However, the area remains run down and unloved.
"The overworked and underfunded police are really committed to trying to make the city safe for everyone.
"I would encourage all residents fed up with antisocial behaviour in the city to write to the police and crime commissioner and demand that he provide more resources to make our city a safe place for people to enjoy."
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