CONSTANT racial abuse has forced a Carnforth takeaway owner to close his business, a court has heard.

Lancaster Magistrates were told that in one incident a local teenager said he would kill Mohammed Ashraf, owner of the town's Medina Indian takeaway, unless he moved away.

David John Humpage of Kings Drive, Carnforth, was found guilty of racially aggravated threats, using abusive or insulting words.

The incident happened on May 8 of this year and, Mr Ashraf told the court, was not the first racist incident to hit the restaurant, which opened in February.

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Ashraf said: "It had also happened previously. Since the day we opened the restaurant we have had different people, different incidents.

"We are so scared we closed the restaurant. The delivery people don't want to come and it's everything finished now."

Mr Ashraf said he and his cook, Mohammed Rahaman, had been running the takeaway alone that night.

They initially called the police after they heard something banging against the back door, which they believed may have been a stone thrown by youths.

Mr Rahaman left the building through the back door while Mr Ashraf left through the front door.

After returning to the shop, he was approached by Humpage, who had drunk five or six bottles of Pils lager.

Humpage made racially abusive comments and threats, asking Mr Ashraf to come outside for a fight.

The racial abuse was directed at Mr Ashraf, but was also within earshot of Mr Rahaman.

Police were called for a second time and, when they arrived, Humpage was arrested to prevent a further breach of the peace.

Humpage, who pleaded not guilty, claimed he had been challenging Mr Ashraf over an earlier incident when a friend of Humpage's had a fight with the takeaway owner. He denied using racist language and said he had a black girlfriend and regularly did babysitting work for a member of the Asian community.

Police computer logs of Mr Rahaman's telephone conversations were also produced.

They did not mention racial abuse and recorded that Mr Rahaman had been asked only to use the 999 number for serious incidents.

However PC Paul Winder, the first officer on the scene, told the court he had been made aware that a serious situation was developing and arrived as quickly as possible.

In mitigation, Mr David Mannering, defending, said: "I ask you to consider that this is something out of character for him, particularly bearing in mind that he has an Asian girlfriend and has contact with other members of the Asian community."

Humpage, currently unemployed, was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £75 each in compensation to Mr Ashraf and Mr Rahaman and £150 in costs.