A SHOP owner hurried home from holiday after being informed that a car had been driven into his store window causing thousands of pounds of damage.

Shahid Chughtai was in Pakistan when he received the bad news from his wife following the incident in the early hours of last Friday.

He arrived back to find Premier Topshop in Cog Lane, Burnley, and its stock wrecked to the tune of £5,500, leaving him lost for words.

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Lancashire Police confirmed that CCTV footage shows a black BMW reversed into the shop at 3.09am on October 23.

A man was seen leaving the vehicle and was then picked up by a white Volkswagen Polo further down the road.

He man is described as Asian, in his mid-20s, of a slim build, and wearing a white/grey tracksuit and black shoes.

Mr Chughtai, 37, who has owned the shop for 18 months, said he was distraught after hearing the news.

He said: “I feel very, very worried. I was meant to be on holiday until the end of the month, but I received a call from my wife about what had happened.

“I flew home as soon as I could to find so much damage.

“There was beer, spirits, wine and groceries everywhere.

“Two of my shop fridges have been damaged and some of the fixtures and shelves have been broken – it’s terrible.”

“This is the first time that this has happened and it’s scary.

“I’ve got two children to feed as well, so without the shop I would struggle to care for them.

“When I found out, I couldn’t speak, words couldn’t leave my lips, I was in shock.”

Staff member Atif Abbasi lives above the store and was woken abruptly when the car hit the shopfront.

Mr Chughtai added: “Atif told me that when he woke up he didn’t know what had happened.

“It felt and sounded like a bomb blast.

“He was terrified and called the police straight way.

“He was so scared that he couldn’t work for a few days.”

The spokesman from Lancashire Police said: “If anyone with information about the incident should call the police on 101 and quote crime reference number EF1509795.”