A YORK shop manager claimed today it took police 20 minutes to respond to his 999 plea for help after a brawl broke out in his store.

Graham Audus warned that someone - a staff member or a customer - could die unless action is taken to tackle youths running riot in the streets.

The manager of Supersave in Fossgate has denied police claims that they reacted to the incident within just six minutes.

He called on businesses to take direct action in protest at "inadequate" policing by deferring parts of their rates payments.

Mr Audus told of a "terrible incident" in his shop when a brawl broke out between four men.

He claimed one came into the shop, high on drugs, pursued by two others who attacked him, with a fourth joining in.

"There were four men fighting it out, we couldn't tackle them.

"This was all going on while we were trying to run a business. My staff were terrified."

But Mr Audus said the most worrying aspect was the police response.

"They arrived about 20 minutes later, they didn't even come into the shop once we told them the men had gone."

He said: "We just aren't getting any value for money or safety from them, the streets are the worst I have ever seen them, something must be done.

"If something doesn't get done, somebody - a staff member, a customer - will die in one of the shops, the way it's going at the moment.

"I am not advocating breaking any laws, but we are paying for a service from the police, and we just aren't getting what we are paying for. So I think we should defer that proportion of our rates.

"I sympathise that the police have a difficult job, but the current situation in York is the worst I have ever seen it. The business community can do something about this, but if something isn't done, in another five or ten years it will be complete anarchy."

Chief Superintendent John Lacy, York and Selby area police commander, said: "According to our records, officers were in the area very quickly, within six minutes. "There was an ongoing incident between Supersave and the city centre which officers attended. While they may not have gone to the shop immediately they did attend the incident, which was moving through the city centre.

"Unfortunately policing is demand led, and there will always be times when we do not get to incidents as quickly as we would like."

Updated: 11:03 Wednesday, September 17, 2003