Trader hopes repairs to Crowland’s Spar after ram raid will be completed by spring

A trader and his staff are likely to feel the aftershocks of a devastating ram raid for months to come – but there is hope that a temporary Post Office could be set up for residents shortly.

Arjun Parmar had taken over the Crowland Spar shop just eight weeks before thieves used a stolen telehandler to rip the cash machine from the front of the North Street building, causing structural damage to the site.

Footage from that night shows the telehandler fork penetrating the front of the shop about seven times – sending bricks flying and exposing electrical wiring which caused a surge and the eventual destruction of frozen stock.

Weeks later, shutters now cover the gaping hole created by the ram raiders but Mr Parmar is expecting it to take until the spring before repairs are complete and his business can start to trade once more.

The store’s Post Office has been sorely missed by the town but Mr Parmar is hoping that he will be able to set-up a temporary counter in Firmin & Co after the agent offered up space.

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Mr Parmar, 35, of Leicester, said: “It is not just me but my 15 members of staff who have been affected. They have not been able to work.”

He had taken over on the Spar shop on November 7 but wasn’t given much time to settle in before the thieves had struck.

During the early hours of December 27, Mr Parmar was woken up by a phone call from the security company and a check of the footage from his store showed the horrible truth.

He said: “I had checked the camera from my phone and could see the wire hanging at the front and the outside camera went off so I knew the ATM had gone.

“I had not been here two months before this happened.

“When you look at the video footage of the inside, the whole building was shaking when they hit it.

“The ceiling has collapsed and the building structure has been damaged as the front had gone. All of the electrics went because of the surge. It pulled all the cables down.

“The RSJ (rolled steel joist) was hit so many times, it was twisted and has to be replaced.”

As the thieves struck during the festive period, Mr Parmar and his insurance company had been unable to get builders in to secure the shop – so security guards were needed to ensure the site was not raided again.

This cost £6,000 alone for 12 days of security guards protecting the site.

Mr Parmar is not sure how much the total repair bill will run to – along with the loss of stock – but hopes the building work will be completed in two months.

He said: “It will depend on getting stuff delivered and then they can crack on. We are looking at the end of March or the beginning of April but I can’t say 100%.”

The Post Office has been greatly missed by the town and, while we were interviewing Mr Parmar, one man came over to ask where the nearest branch was. Crowland Cares has also been running a bus trip to nearby Werrington for those who do not have transport but need a bus service.

Estate agents Firmin & Co, which is also based in North Street, has now offered Mr Parmar some space to set-up a temporary Post Office.

If the location is agreed by the Post Office, a temporary counter could be running in the town within a few weeks.

Mr Parmar has praised the community for their support since the attack.

He said: “Everyone has been really helpful. I would thank John at Frydays for allow the security guards to use their facilities and to Firmin for their offer of space for the Post Office.”

Police believe that a telehandler stolen from a nearby farm was used to ram the front of the store, and pull free the ATM, which was then loaded onto a white flat bed van at about 3.30am on December 27.

Officers said at the time that three or four suspects were believed to have been involved in the incident and two were seen to run off.

When approached for an update, however, police said ‘investigations are ongoing’.