AN AFRICAN cafe owner has been urged to contact the police after claiming she was racially abused by a neighbour.

The claim was made as licensing chiefs met to consider a premises licence, allowing the sale of alcohol, for Apocom Kitchen in Gallowgate.

Jack Cummings, the applicant’s agent, said his client had been having problems with a nearby resident, who “hasn’t greeted the arrival of an African restaurant with an African clientele”.

Councillors heard how there had been a dispute over bins, which have been moved into back courts under a Glasgow City Council scheme to tidy up the city’s streets.

Mr Cummings said: “The language I’ve been told was used was certainly racist. I’ve told her if it was repeated then not to hesitate to bring the matter to the attention of Police Scotland.

“I think sometimes people are reluctant to go to the police, I don’t know why.”

He added: “I’m not saying there’s a connection with this application.”

Licensing chiefs condemned the behaviour and echoed the agent’s advice to contact the police. Councillor Bill Butler said: “We don’t accept that as behaviour here in Scotland and across the UK. It is a crime.”

A number of complaints have been made about the cafe, including noise, operating outside of licensed hours and selling alcohol without a licence.

Mr Cummings accepted the cafe had been used in the early hours due to a “misunderstanding” but disputed other complaints. The owner had returned to Nigeria for “family business” when her sister was pressured into holding a birthday party by a regular customer, councillors heard.

“There was no phone coverage in the part of Nigeria where she was,” said the agent. “She would have forbidden it.”

He described it as an isolated and regrettable incident.

Alcohol sales were advertised on the cafe’s website but Mr Cummings said: “The designer who does the site jumped the gun and put a flyer on the website.”

The application was approved but staff will have to undergo mandatory training.