What we know so far after Nursling and Eastleigh ram-raids

Morrisons Daily stores in Hiltingbury Road, Chandler's Ford and Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh were targeted as well as the Co-Op on Nursling Street, Nursling. 

The incidents took place around midnight on Thursday (September 12) with shocking CCTV footage showing masked people ramming a shopfront with a flatbed truck before gaining entry. 

Now a 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted burglary and causing criminal damage.

He has been remanded in custody whilst police investigate further. 

The incidents are being treated as linked.

Subash Gurung is the manager of the Morrisons Daily in Chandler's Ford where thieves made off with cigarettes worth between £8,000 and £10,000. 

He was asleep in his home above the shop when he heard the bang of the vehicle crashing through the front of the store. 

Morrisons Daily in Hiltingbury Road, Chandler's Ford (Image: Timothy Edgley) Subash said: "We work so hard here. We don't steal. But they steal and they get away with everything.

"I just feel sorry for me and my wife."

Despite calling police shortly after the incident, he said it took them 90 minutes to show up, with two officers taking a statement.

He claimed that three weeks ago, there was an attempted break-in and when he reported this, no-one came out and he was told to submit CCTV footage.

He said he felt 'anger' and 'chaos' around the lack of support for shop owners, adding: "We should get help if they are doing this. We are not safe.

"Police aren't doing anything.

"It is a failure from their end when people are going around doing all this."

Damage to the Morrisons Daily in Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh (Image: Newsquest) Claiming 'Southampton is getting worse' for crime, he called for funding from the authorities so shops can install their own security equipment, like smoke cloak protection systems which blanket a shop with thick clouds of smoke when a break-in happens.

Despite this though, police claim they have committed "significant resources" to investigate the crimes. 

Detective Inspector Timothy Sivarajah said yesterday: “We fully appreciate that the incidents overnight in the Nursling and Eastleigh areas will have caused concern for business owners and residents alike but rest assured that we have committed significant resources to ensure that each incident is thoroughly investigated.

“We continue to work at pace to investigate reasonable lines of enquiry as part of our investigations and ensure that we bring those responsible for committing such offences to justice.

“There will continue to be an increased police presence in these areas today as they carry out further enquiries into these matters – including extensive CCTV scoping and review, house-to-house enquiries and forensic enquires.

“However, we are working towards identifying any links to previous incidents – including those at the Welcome Co-op store in Lyndhurst Road, Ashurst and Morrisons Daily on Ringwood Road in Totton.

“Local officers will continue to work closely with local residents and business owners when a crime is reported to us; offering target hardening and crime prevention advice to prevent further criminality to local businesses and residents.

“The information that the local community provide to us – via reports made using the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website, by calling 101 or contacting Crimestoppers anonymously - about suspicious incidents or crimes that are taking place are reviewed on a daily basis by our investigation teams and local Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

"This information is essential and gives us a rich picture around what is happening in the community and allows us to readily identify any trends of offences being committed.

"While you may not always see an officer on your local streets, this does not mean that we are not there – officers will be working in the background preparing to react swiftly, and robustly, to incidents which are reported into us.

“We remain committed to tackling these crimes across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

"We will always seek to pursue those responsible for causing the most harm in our communities, but we need the support of the public and for them to continue to report suspicious incidents or crimes to us.

"Only then can we take action and bring those responsible to justice.”

READ MORE: Co-Op and Morrisons Daily stores smashed up in ram raids

But county councillor for Baddesley, Alan Dowden, said this has been happening more recently and is a "major problem" nationally. 

"I feel for those people that have been ram-raided because even when they put precautions in they find another way," he said.

"There is no doubt about it, it is because of the lack of police presence around. 

"They are going to need to have a special squad that needs to be out at night and they can be a rapid response.

"No other issue should deter them from that and that is the only way they are going to stop it."

Damage to the Co-Op store in Nursling Street, Nursling (Image: Timothy Edgley) Nikita Gilmer manages the Morrisons Daily on Nightingale Avenue, Eastleigh.

Her store was protected thanks to the smoke cloak system installed which triggers during a break-in.

She said: "They used a flatbed truck and reversed four times into my store. It was just after midnight. We are waiting on a structural assessment before we can go in.

"The fire service was the first here. Police have just taken statements from everybody who was standing outside.

"I closed the shop at eight last night, went home, had a bath and then came back. One of my supervisors rang me to say we had been ram-raided.

"The fire service was already here when I got out my front door. Today we'll clean up and hopefully then open."

One Nursling Street resident, Colin Grant, lives nearby to the raided Co-Op store which was also hit in May. 

Though nothing was taken this time and thieves weren't able to get in, they caused considerable damage to the shop front.

Colin said they could put bollards in front of the shop to stop this from happening, adding that there has been a spate of incidents.

"It's because it's near the motorway so they can get away. We haven't seen them (the police) but they have obviously been here.

"Last time they got in there a smoke thing went off. So they couldn't see. At Ashurst they took cigarettes and alcohol."

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, said: “My thoughts are with the shop owners as these can be frightening incidents that affect their businesses.

"It is good to hear that the Constabulary have already made an arrest.

"When these incidents happen, people expect a quick robust response which is what they have received from the local policing team.”

A Co-Op spokesperson thanked police "for the speed of their response" and said the company "apologises for any inconvenience caused during the store’s temporary closure to assess and repair damages to the storefront."