Ram raid is final straw for town shopkeeper

A SHOPKEEPER who moved to Burnham for a 'quiet life' is retiring after having a gun pointed at his head and being ram-raided in two separate incidents. The Avon Newsagents owner David Burton is selling up shop after six years, after moving to the town from Wolverhampton. The latest incident at the building in Oxford Street occurred on July 9 just after midnight. A wire rope with a red hook was used to pull an ATM cash machine from the shop. It was put in the back of a Jeep and both were abandoned a short time later in Queens Drive, close to junction 22 of the M5. Three men, one wearing a balaclava, had been seen acting suspiciously in Oxford Street at 10pm the day before and they are believed to be linked to the raid. David, aged 62, said: "Police found the money in the car so they brought that back, but now the shop is a mess. The front of the shop is smashed up and will to cost thousands of pounds to get it fixed."We are definitely not getting another cash machine again because it is just too much of a risk. We were determined to stay open and it was business almost as usual the next day. "What really bothers me is the damage they have done to the shop. Thankfully it has not put off the people buying it off me, but I've recommended they don't put an ATM in."David was also the victim of an attempted burglary last October. A man wielding a gun demanded money and David jumped between him and his wife. The ATM theft is believed to be the same gang of men involved in four other incidents in the South West.On June 9 three or four men stole a Vauxhall Cavalier from Alstone Road near Highbridge and attempted to remove an ATM from Somerfield in the town. The vehicle was found a short time later in the Mark area, with another vehicle which the offenders used to escape.Anyone who may have information about the gang is urged to call police on 0845 456 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.