The owner of a newly opened shop has described how a 'drunk' thug punched a hole in a £3,000 statue of a bee outside his premises.
The vandal, who was with a group, attacked the figure outside Fit Bee, a nutrition and supplements business, in Bury, at around 6.30pm on Friday. The owner ran out to purse the culprit but he fled.
Former body builder Tom Baca, 35, who sold his car and used all his savings to open the business on Rochdale Road ten months ago, imported the bee figure from his native Poland at a cost of £3,000 as a tribute to Manchester. The bee is a symbol of the city.
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Tom told the M.E.N: "I heard some noise and I jumped outside and these guys were there. I ran to them and we started screaming at each other. They were drunk.
"There was almost a fight. They wanted to fight me but what's the point of fighting. There were three people there, two aged in their 20s and an older man. One of the young ones had blood on his fist. I think it was him."
The attack left a hole in the nose of the bee statue.
Tom, a married father originally from Olsztwn in northern Poland, said: "I'm just very disappointed. I only just opened. I sold my car, a BMW 6 series, and took out loans to open my dream business. I want to help people with their health.
"People love that bee. There are always people taking pictures with kids there. It cost me £3,000 to bring it over from Poland. It's a symbol of Manchester."
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