THE OWNER of a carpet shop which was petrol bombed during a night of violent disorder, has thanked the community for supporting him.

Tony Harris, of the Woodford Green Carpet shop on Woodford Green High Road, was asleep in his flat behind the shop in the early hours of Tuesday morning (August 9), when he was awoken by the smell of smoke.

He dashed to his shop to find it engulfed by flames.

Fire brigades arrived to bring the blaze under control, but the shop was gutted and most of Mr Harris’ stock was destroyed.

He said: “Since the fire, the response from people in the local community has been overwhelming.

“We have had so many messages of support, and some people have even apologised on behalf of the community for what happened.”

In the immediate aftermath of the blaze, Mr Harris told the Guardian he hoped to get the shop reopened by Monday (August 15).

But he says the damage is so bad that he has had to revise that estimate and now hopes to reopen towards the end of the month.

He said: “There’s a lot more damage than I thought.

“We’ll have to gut the shop completely. We need new windows, new flooring and an entire new shop front.”

He estimates repairs will run to £15,000 and is awaiting a visit from his insurance company to see how much they’ll pay towards sorting out the damage.

In the meantime, his bank manager has provided him with an emergency loan, and other carpet dealers have rallied round to help.

He explained: “A number of other businesses have helped us with carpet samples and a couple have even offered to invest in the business if we need help.

“I have been taken aback by the community’s willingness to help.”

Mr Harris has another branch at 96 George Lane which customers can go to while he continues the work on the shop in the High Road.

But he says he is determined to get the burned out shop up and running.

And he says he will be offering discounts to local people to thank them for their support.

Click here to follow the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian on Twitter