Concrete slabs are falling from rooftops into Smelly Alley leaving buildings potentially unsafe and shoppers at risk of being injured.

People have also been seen on the roofs that link shops between Broad and Friar Streets throwing wood to the floor three storeys below.

Business owners said they are “losing sleep” with worry about what they will find each morning and that shoppers may get hurt. The rooftops are reported to be littered with needles from junkies. Lead has been stolen and roofs damaged by free runners.

Burglars are also using the rooftops as easy access to the shops to steal from them.

The owners are set to meet with police and the council as they said they are experiencing problems on a daily basis.

Klunky, owner of Tat2-U in Smelly Alley, formerly called Union Street, said he could hear people running around above his shop only minutes before The Chronicle visited him on Wednesday.

He said: “It’s a cross between junkies and free runners up there. It is happening daily but when school holidays start it gets even worse.

“When I came in last week there was a dent in one of my signs and there was a concrete slab on the ground.”

The traders believe the trespassers are using a handful of access points in Friar Street and West Street to get on to the roofs.

Klunky, whose ceiling has suffered damage from vandals jumping down from neighbouring buildings, added: “The problem is once you are up there you can go wherever you want.”

Fellow business owners have also suffered burglaries after the thieves used the roofs to drop down into the buildings.

Ghalam Abbas, of A&Z Mobiles, who has been broken into multiple times, said: “I stress and cannot sleep. I have CCTV cameras but when they are coming in from the roof what else can I do?

“I’m scared to go up there myself in case something happens.

“Since I went to the council two weeks ago they are looking to help us. We just want to peacefully run our businesses.”

Kevin Little of the Smelly Alley Fish Company joined his neighbours in feeling 'at his wit’s end’ over what to do about the problem.

He said: “What are we legally allowed to do? Can we put up razor wire to stop them or is that just going to be our fault if someone up there gets injured?”

Inspector Keith Stacey, from the Reading Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “There are serious risks to people who choose to access the roofs of these buildings.

“They are putting themselves and others in danger, and there are various offences which they may be committing, including, but not limited to, criminal damage, criminal damage with intent to endanger life, and civil trespass.”

Reading Borough Council spokesman Anna Fowler said: “We are aware of people accessing the roofs of buildings in the town centre and have been working with the police and local business owners to prevent this happening.

“Local authority and Thames Valley Police officers have previously met with businesses to see how we can assist them in securing their property. This included sending a letter outlining our joint concerns.”