SHOCKING footage has emerged showing the moment a gang of yobs appeared to ambush a shopkeeper as two young girls stole bottles of alcohol.
Five youngsters entered the City Centre Convenience Store, in High Street, Colchester, at about 6.40pm on Thursday.
In CCTV imagery, which has been shown to the Gazette, a shopworker can be seen initially standing alone inside the store before two girls walk in.
Within a few moments, a further three youngsters flood into the shop before seemingly blocking the shopworker and grabbing her while other members of the gang stuff alcohol into their jackets.
Throughout the incident, the shopkeeper appears to plead with the thieves, begging them to stop as she also yells out for help.
As the situation esculates, the yobs are seen gradually trying to leave the store before a heroic passerby attempts to prevent them from doing so - albeit in vain.
Srinivas Patlola, 46, who owns the City Centre Convenience Store, says he and his family have been abused and targeted regularly.
He said: “They stole drinks, made a mess and created a panicking situation - these people are coming in but there is no protection.
“It is very uncomfortable and my cousin who usually works in the store now doesn’t want to work because of the situation.
“This is happening almost every day and we do not know what time they will come. There are a total of three groups who steal from the shop.
“All the small stores in Colchester pass messages to and from each other because it’s happening all the time - we come together when this type of incident happens.
“We panic because we don’t know what time they will come.”
Richard Kirkby-Taylor, Colchester councillor for Castle ward, said he was appalled with the crime.
He said: “This kind of behaviour is absolutely disgusting. There is no excuse for intimidation and this anti-social behaviour is unacceptable.
“We do have a bit of a problem in the town centre with anti-social behaviour. [However,] make sure you are reporting anything like this to the police.
“If you are aware [of this behaviour] happening, if you know who these people are, do not encourage it.
“If these people are your friends, you need to ask why they are doing it. It is absolutely not acceptable.
“The problem [is a result] of a decade of austerity, the police don’t have the resources to deal with this type of everyday crime.
“The police should be prioritising it but they don’t have the funding for it.”
Essex Police did not respond before going to press.
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