'There was glass everywhere': Teenagers smash front door of Port Maid Fashions in Portsmouth as arrests made

Port Maid Fashions in Arundel Street was targeted by boys yesterday evening. Manager Sean Smith said the youths were able to burst through the front door and steal roughly £600 of stock.

He told The News: ‘They smashed the glass front door. Someone was calling 999 while they were breaking it, as it was still daylight outside.

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‘I’m not sure what they smashed it with, it must have been a hammer or something. It was quite a big glass panel. There was glass everywhere.’

Mr Smith said a 999 call was made at roughly 8.30pm, adding that it was shocking to see the damage caused to the door. Chief Inspector Pete Smith, of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said two teenage boys, aged 13 and 15, were detained on suspicion of break-in following the burglary.

Police have since implemented a dispersal order across much of Portsmouth city centre – covering the area from the Marketway Roundabout to the north to the bottom of Guildhall Walk to the south.

Port Maid Fashions was able to open its doors at lunchtime today. Mr Smith added: ‘I’m glad that they’ve been caught red handed.

‘It’s more than what I could ask for. I hope I can get my stock back.’ The manager said repairs still need to be made to the front door.

He added that he’s glad the dispersal order has been issued as anti-social behaviour needed addressing. ‘There have been big groups of kids wandering around causing nuisance,’ he said.

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‘They have been targeting other stores, going into them, wrecking the place, and walking out. ‘It’s been a common thing that has been going on for roughly three to four months. It’s school kids going round and making a mess.’

As previously reported in The News, children have been running rampage in the city centre; throwing stones at buses, hurling objects off rooftops and playing football in the middle of stores. Alongside the two arrests, seven children were frogmarched home to their parents following the anti-social behaviour.