The front of an Arbroath convenience store has partially collapsed after a ram raid involving a stolen lorry.
Police were called to the row of shops on Mayfield Terrace just before 6am on Friday after a lorry – stolen from an Arbroath driving school – was driven into the building.
Mayfield Foodstore has been left severely damaged with the entrance left in a pile of rubble and parts of the ceiling hanging down.
The lorry also smashed into a parked car nearby.
Mayfield Foodstore is owned by Salah Ub Dan, 63, who has had the shop since 2008.
Worker Muhammad Adnan, 43, said: “The next-door neighbour phoned me this morning.
“We came here at about 7.30am.
“When I saw it I was shocked.
“They came with a van and went straight into the wall, I think, and then just ran.
“The van crashed into the front and then one of the people came inside and took things.
“We can’t get inside so we don’t know what they took, we will need to check later on how much the loss is.
“It makes me feel unhappy, this is my work. We don’t know how long it will be closed now.
“I am feeling so sad, I usually work four days a week.”
Lorry owner ‘gutted’ as vehicle left written off after Arbroath ram raid
David Hall, 43, who runs ULearn LGV driving school – where the lorry was stolen from – estimates the lorry is worth £7-8,000.
He told The Courier: “We got a phonecall just after 6am this morning from the police.
“They wanted us to go in and check the yard to see if the lorry was still there.
“We got there and the lorry was gone.
“Whoever it was can’t drive because they wiped out the gate as they were leaving the yard.
“I spoke to the police and made a statement then went home and put a post on Facebook to see if people could find it.
“Then I started getting messages saying it had been abandoned up at Leysmill.
“I went up there, met the police and it is just written off.”
David added: “It is absolutely gutting, it is eight years of hard work.
“I’ve got other lorries but that’s not the point, it’s eight years of hard work getting that lorry into the condition it is in and it’s just been destroyed.
“That specific vehicle is a learning vehicle and an ex-MOD vehicle and I can’t get another one, there are very few of them on the road.
“It is the worst one they could have taken.
“It has dual control and has a tow bar so it takes a trailer and it’s a specific size of trailer as well, it is all one matching vehicle.
“If it was any other lorry I wouldn’t be so bothered.
Firm forced to cancel lorry learner courses after ram raid
“I’ve got a course that is supposed to start on Monday and I am trying to get another one for that but it’s highly unlikely that will happen.
“I’ve been in touch with the insurance company to get the ball rolling with that and see if I can get a hire vehicle off them.
“We have got about three courses in the next few weeks with that vehicle that we could have to cancel.
“We are a small business so it is a huge loss.
“It is £1,500 per course, so that is about £5,000 worth of work that will have to be cancelled.”
Police probe attempted break-in involving lorry in Arbroath
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 5.50am on Friday, we received a report of an attempted break-in to two shops in Mayfield Terrace, Arbroath involving a stolen lorry.
“It was also involved in a crash with a parked car on Lethnot Road a short time later.
“Inquiries are ongoing.”
