A Renfrewshire business owner has been left with a £10,000 bill after her shop was torched by youths.
Aldo’s Hot and Cold Food, which sits below residential flats in Johnstone, was targeted in the early hours of Sunday, November 13.
Owner Doreen Clark, who has run the 40-year-old business for eight years, found two melted bins propped outside her shop window. They are believed to have been set alight and moved outside the takeaway.
The 57-year-old says she is now facing a bill of at least £10,000 to repair the damage.
Doreen told the Paisley Daily Express: “I got the call in the middle of the night and got there within the next 10 minutes. When I arrived my heart just stopped, I was absolutely gutted and heartbroken.
“I dread to think what would have happened if the fire had caught hold of the gas pipe – there are people living directly above the shop.”
The front of the shop was destroyed. The roller shutters were burnt to a crisp, all three of the windows had blown and the signage had been destroyed.
Doreen added: “Inside the electrics have blown and the plaster work has been burnt.
“I will have to get everything replaced or repaired. It’s going to cost at least £10,000.”
Images taken on the night of the blaze show the front of the shop destroyed as fire crews worked to put out the smouldering remains. Locals could also be seen standing in the street watching on in horror.
CCTV footage captured by a nearby business shows a number of teenagers in the area during the time of the blaze. Images show the youths – two boys and one girl – pacing the streets during the early hours, shortly before fire crews were called.
Although the shop has reopened with help from locals, Doreen says the financial impact of the fire could be devastating for her business.
She said: “It is hard enough in this climate, I’m taking the hit just now with inflation. I now need to build the business back up.
“I’ve just got to soldier through it. I have great customers but I am gutted. I just hope that the police find those responsible.”
Officers from Police Scotland said they were following positive lines of inquiry.
A spokesperson said: “We are following positive lines of enquiry following a fire in Ellerslie Street, Johnstone which was reported to police at 5.55am on Sunday, November 13.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 5.45am on Sunday, November 13 to reports of a fire on Ellerslie Street, Johnstone.
“Operations Control mobilised two appliances to the scene, where firefighters worked to extinguish rubbish on fire against a three-storey building and they made the area safe before leaving.”
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