“THEY are our heroes. I will always be grateful to them”.

These are the words of Siddharth Patel, whose shop in Romsey was broken into shortly before 2.30am on Monday.

Mr Patel said he was shocked when he found out that ram raiders had smashed their way into his Premier store in Viney Avenue.

But he said it is thanks to his neighbours if nothing was stolen and the thugs fled empty-handed.

The 45-year-old from Romsey said he will always be grateful to neighbours Dudley McKenner and his wife Clare Smith-May who shouted at the ram raiders and phoned the police.

Ms Smith-May said she was in bed when she heard a loud noise. She said she looked out the window and saw a car smashing into the front of the shop.

“I shouted, I never believed I could shout so loud,” the 60-year-old gardener said.

She added: “I shouted ‘stop you are on camera’ and my husband came out of the front door and was shouting as well. They heard us because one man shouted back ‘be quite’. They then just got back in the car and drove off,”she said.

Hampshire police confirmed that a car was used to damage the shop and the vehicle was then recovered.

Mr Patel said: “They could have stayed a lot longer and try to steal something if my neighbours were not awake. I’m very thankful to my neighbours. If more neighbours are like Clare these incidents can stop.”

Mr Patel said the store reopened on Monday afternoon.

A spokesman for Hampshire police said the incident in Romsey is being treated as linked to the robbery that occurred at the McColl’s store in Longstock Crescent, Totton at around 6.15am on Monday. Yesterday officers arrested a 15-year-old from Southampton in connection with that robbery.