A one-man crime wave hit Penrith in the early hours of last Sunday.
It follows an alleged drink-driver piling into roadside railings on Middlegate and damaging them around midnight – rendering the car undriveable.
A string of criminal damage attacks which then followed between midnight and 12-30am have been linked to the crash.
The glass door to the S&F Clearance Store — directly opposite the scene of the crash — was put through. It remained boarded up this week with a notice apologising to customers and referring them to Sands Gifts across the road.
Harveys Hair and Beauty in Burrowgate also had its front door window punched through and a further two fist-sized holes were punched in its large front window.
The window remained boarded up this week, although CCTV on the premises caught the offender in the act, and it remains open for business.
Finally, the nearby Spar store just along the road, also had a lower glass pane in its front door kicked in.
It has left small business owners facing clean-ups, hassle and insurance claims they could do without. At the hairdressers alone, the bill is expected to run into a “few thousand” as its large front window is 2.5m by 2.5m.
Owner Janet Harvey, who runs the business with daughter Julie Richardson, plans to introduce toughened glass. Originally in Corn Market, the salon has been there for seven years and they frequently turn up after a weekend to find broken glass. A relative who lives in Penrith contacted them to tell them the damage had been caused. Asked how she felt, Janet said: “Very cross because it’s impacting on my business. Luckily we came down and saved everything.
“If we hadn’t been down here at seven o’clock on Sunday morning and stopped here all day, anybody could have got in because if you touched the window it would have fallen in.
“It took all day to get someone to board it up. I tried to do it through normal channels (insurance) and it didn’t get done so we had to do it at seven o’clock at night, but people have been very supportive.” Julie added: “I’m just really disappointed. It’s impacted our business, it’s stopped potential customers coming in because it looks such a mess, and I don’t think people realise the impact of their actions on other people’s businesses.”
Police said a 30-year-old man from Penrith was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, dangerous driving and drink driving. He has since been released on bail as officers continue with their inquiries, a spokesman said.
