By Alan Healy
Deputy Editor

The OWNER of one of the city’s oldest businesses has hit out at those behind a weekend mortar attack which resulted in them losing out on a full day’s trade.

Fiorentini’s was one of a number of businesses on the Strand Road which was forced to close on Saturday as a result of a mortar attack on the nearby PSNI barracks on Friday night.
Elderly residents of the Fold Housing Association on Asylum Road were evacuated overnight to Brooke Park leisure centre as a precaution.
The PSNI are investigating a link between the attacks and dissident republicans.
Speaking to the Derry News yesterday, Michael Fiorentini of Fiorentini’s voiced his frustration that local businesses were again suffering as a result of the actions of a few.
“We took a bad loss there at the weekend, and not many local businesses can afford to take a hit like that these days,” he said.
“All this does is cause bother for the people who live here, and drives trade away from the local businesses in the city centre to the big multinationals on the outskirts of the town.
“We’ve been trading since 1912, and we’ve had days like this before during the Troubles.
“But we moved on now, and we shouldn’t have to be dealing with this anymore.”