Damage caused in shopping centre disturbance

Grimsby’s upmarket Abbeygate shopping centre was left strewn with flower pots, bottles and tables and chairs when a man caused a disturbance in the area.

The incident happened on Friday evening and police are investigating.

The popular Tredici Wood Fired Pizzeria restaurant was one of the businesses targeted.

Simon Jowitt, who took over the business with Marie Chuka in April last year, estimated £500 to £600 pounds worth of damage had been caused in total.

He said a man had entered the shopping centre, “sat himself down with a bottle of gin”, banged on windows and was causing a nuisance.

After the businesses closed and he was left alone, “he started to cause damage to plant pots and tables and chairs”, said Mr Jowitt, who added he understood the man also went on to roofs and damaged drainpipes.

He said Tredici, which recently extended into the next-door building, had been forced to return to a collection service only due to the second national lockdown and added: “So this was the last thing we needed I suppose.”

However he added that since photos of the damage were shared on social media the support shown by the public had been “humbling”.

A Humberside Police spokesperson said: “A report of criminal damage was reported to us on Friday evening just after 8.30pm when a man was said to be causing a disturbance in the Abbeygate shopping centre and is alleged to have broken plant pots outside one of the premises.

“We are looking into this and ask anyone with information to call us on 101 quoting crime reference number 16/116844/20.”

Calls can also be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Photos: Tredici, Facebook.