BROAD Street district businesses have hit back fiercely at claims that rival weekend race rallies in Birmingham city centre had no impact on trade.

Shops and bars close to Birmingham’s Golden Mile claim traffic and policing restrictions caused by the English Defence League’s protest in Centenary Square and the counter-demonstration by Unite Against Fascism in Victoria Square cut weekend business to ribbons.

Traders attacked Broad Street manager Mike Olley’s claims that the demonstrations had made no difference to bars, pubs and restaurants. Mr Olley said: “We won’t know for a couple of weeks yet, but I doubt our footfall will be down by much.”

But Mark Gribben, of Ethos florists in Brindleyplace, said: “That’s nonsense. We had the worst weekend ever trade-wise. We were down by 80 per cent.