Southport retailer Chanaka Balasuryla, whose shop has been ransacked by rioters, said more than £10,000 worth of stock was stolen from the store.
Unrest broke out in the Merseyside town on Tuesday night, shortly after a vigil in memory of the three children killed in a knife attack on Monday at a Taylor Swift-themed dance party.
Balasuryla said he watched “thugs” bricking the windows of his Windsor Mini Mart convenience store and bursting in remotely on CCTV as he had gone home for the evening, fearing the area could become unsafe.
“It took 10 or 15 minutes for them to break in. They were taking turns to kick in the glass,” the 47-year-old told BBC.
"I also saw fire outside. They lit up cardboard outside and I feared they were going to burn it down. I dialled 999 as people live upstairs.
"My kids saw it on CCTV too. They were screaming and crying, so I turned it off."
The Windsor Mini mart which was looted during a violent protest, following a vigil for the victims of the knife attack, is pictured in Southport, Britain July 31, 2024. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
Viewing the damage the next morning, the father-of-two said: “It was horrendous. Everything was on the floor.
“They took everything. They were eating inside, crisps were all over the place. It’s a nightmare. I don’t have insurance. It’s awful, but the community are going to help with fundraising.
“These people need to be punished.”
Rose Tucker, who runs a nearby beauty salon, started a crowdfunding page to support Balasuryla.
On Wednesday, streets in Southport were littered with bricks from broken walls, smashed bottles, large garbage bins and their contents. Charred tarmac bore witness to police vehicles set alight in the clashes a night earlier.
"What I saw last night was absolutely appalling ... It was devastating and it's kind of taken away from actually what's gone on, which is the tragedy of those deaths," local resident David Burgess told Sky News.
Police mobilised on Wednesday to prevent a repeat of overnight violence in which dozens of officers were injured.
Merseyside Police chief Serena Kennedy said her force was "absolutely planning" for further possible disturbances in Southport.
Supporters of the far-right English Defence League (EDL) are suspected of having travelled from outside the area to the seaside town near Liverpool to orchestrate several hours of serious violent disorder.
A 100-strong group attacked police and properties, throwing bricks at a mosque and setting vehicles and other things on fire.
Police say 53 officers were wounded, at least eight of them seriously, and that they had arrested four suspects.
