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Horror as firework thrown into shop
A BLACKPOOL shop owner has today spoken of his horror after a lit firework was thrown into his sunbed shop.
Neil Horrocks, 46, was near the counter in Sunnies Sunbed Shop on Westmorland Avenue, Central Blackpool, when the firework grazed his leg and exploded at the back of the shop.
Although nobody was hurt in the incident, Mr Horrocks is terrified that a child could be seriously injured by a similar prank.
The married stepfather-of-two said: "These fireworks were deliberately aimed low down to come into the shop. It was at just the right level to hit a child in the face or to hit a pram. I can't believe anybody would be so stupid."
The attack happened just after 6pm on Friday. Mr Horrocks had two customers using sunbeds in his shop at the time.
He said: "I was just leaning to put a bottle in the bin when I felt something go whizzing past my leg.
"I heard the firework go bang and was confused at first as to whether it had been outside the shop, there had been lots going off all night.
"The shop filled with smoke then though, and I saw the rocket on the floor I just couldn't believe someone would aim a firework into a shop, the people using the beds came out and saw the smoke and they were saying what a lucky escape I had had.
"I dread to think what could have happened if the customers had been coming out of the sunbed room when the firework had come in and they'd been hit."
The firework left soot on the shop floor and slightly stained the carpet although no significant damage was caused.
Mr Horrocks has recently installed video cameras on his premises and managed to capture his ordeal on tape.
The shop owner was disappointed by the reaction from the police, however. He added: "I called the police just after the incident but nobody came out for hours, I did feel a bit let down.
"There is a problem around this area with older teenagers, I don't think it's the younger kids, they seem like a good bunch.
" If there was a bigger police presence it would solve a lot of the problems in this area. A lot of the youths playing with fireworks would disperse if they saw a community support officer walking around."
Insp Mark Hughes, who is responsible for the town centre, said: "When anybody contacts the police we do ensure we give a priority of service appropriate to the seriousness of the incident.
"We are very busy especially over the bonfire night weekend but we do try to get to every incident as quickly as possible."
The incident is the latest in a series of dangerous pranks involving fireworks.
Last Wednesday, a lit firework was put through the door of a home at Beardsworth Road, Revoe while in the early hours of Friday, North Shore man Graham Auduchowitsch was awoken by a firework which shattered windows at his Exchange Street home.
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 14 C to 20 C
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