A business owner in Abergavenny has said the lack of maintenance of one of the town’s most prominent buildings made him feel suicidal when he was evicted from the property.

Mukesh Kumar, who used to occupy 1 High Street in the town centre, has said the current state of the premises directly contributed to a break-in at his new shop which is next door at 2 High Street. Mr Kumar also alleges that he made repeated complaints to the landlord and Monmouthshire Council about the state of the address while he was living above his shop before being made homeless due to his forced departure when the building fell into disrepair.

“I was living in the flat upstairs at 1 High Street before I was essentially evicted from my home and my business. I was told I was making nuisance complaints to public bodies when I told people the condition of the building was deteriorating,” he said.

“This had a significant impact on my health. I spent time at a mental health unit and I was separated from my wife. We could not take our dog into the hotel that was being offered as temporary accommodation, so I was luckily able to find a friend with a sofa where I could stay while she stayed in the hotel. It was a very difficult time in our lives.”

The owner of the town centre business also estimates that up to £30,000’s worth of stock had to be left behind when the premises was vacated because the landlord refused to let him in to empty the property. Weeks later, Mr Kumar stated he was charged a further £1,200 to remove the stock while he was still homeless.

Thankfully, he was eventually able to re-establish his business with financial support from family in India and in March 2023, Phone Review reopened at 2 High Street. But a recent break-in has left Mr Kumar concerned that it is once again impacting the security and safety of his business. An unlocked fire door at the side of 1 High Street, on the Market Street side, which cannot be locked leaves access to the rear of some businesses open. Mr Kumar’s own CCTV cameras caught the culprits and this has been passed on to police.

“It keeps me awake at night to know that my business isn’t fully secure. After everything we have been through, the lack of respect for the building from the landlord is still haunting us even when we have nothing to do with it.”

“I love Abergavenny, the people here are amazing and having lived in other places in the UK I finally felt like I had found my home here. But I have struggled with this situation for years and would love to see this iconic Abergavenny building restored to a high standard.”

Monmouthshire Council was approached to comment on future plans for the building and the alleged treatment of Mr Kumar when he was evicted from the property. Gwent Police were asked for an update on the reported break-in.