A TAILOR in the Westgate Mall who will need to replace his roof after it was damaged because of heavy leaking has pointed the finger at the Little Lane development on Adelaide Street.

Vince Petrucci from Fremantle Tailors,  off Point Street, says the leaks started when Icon Construction cranked up work on the apartments next door.

Mr Petrucci says wet cement has blocked part of the down pipe and the roof, causing cracks in the walls to start appearing since August last year. 

He has had to place buckets and bowls in parts of his store to catch the leaks, while shelves and tools have begun to sag and are covered with mould. 

Mr Petrucci said that repairs to the roof can’t happen until the bad weather ceases. 

“Now I’ve got to wait for the rain to stop,” he said. 

“I’m getting water. I don’t know what to do… I’m not going to get up on the roof myself.”

Mr Petrucci said he hadn’t opposed the apartments project but feared it was the size of the eight-storey building that was creating the downpour which was also damaging the heater at the back of his shop.

ICON’s General Manager in WA Andrew Owens says that ICON requested access to Mr Petrucci’s shop to affect repairs. 

“Access to the roof was consistently denied by Mr Petrucci,” Mr Owens said. 

Mr Petrucci also made complaints to the Fremantle council.

Fremantle Tailors is a rare survivor of the trade and one of the last standing stores in Fremantle. It was started by Mr Petrucci in 1993 when he migrated to Australia and will have been at the location in Westgate Mall for 30 years next year. 

“The only reason the roof hasn’t come down is because it was built in the ‘60s,” said Mr Petrucci. 

“In 2022, this thing shouldn’t have happened. It’s a nightmare.”

Mr Petrucci says he doesn’t know when the repairs to his shop are likely to start.

by LUKE COMMINS