Car smashes into new Norwich shop

It should have been a day of celebration and joy - but the grand opening of a new model shop in Norwich was postponed after a hit-and-run driver crashed his car into the front window.

National chain Modelzone has moved into the former model store Keller's Model Marque in Cattle Market Street, and after getting the shop ready since last weekend, planned to open yesterday.

But staff arrived in the morning only to find that the front window was smashed in after a motorist had ploughed into the building the previous night, and had then left the scene.

On surveying the damage, manager Alan Powley, said: 'It's a bit of a shock. We were all excited with the grand opening of the shop, and now this.

'After all the hard work we put in over the weekend getting everything ready to open, we feel really disappointed, especially for the customers. We have had to turn away several customers already today.'

Later in the day Mr Powley said he hoped the grand opening would now be held today at 9am. He said it was too early to estimate how much damage had been caused to the shop in the crash.

A Norfolk police spokeswoman said: 'We were alerted to reports that a car had gone into the front of a shop in Cattle Market Street, Norwich, at around 10.30pm on Wednesday, June 9.

'The driver of the vehicle, believed to be a Ford Escort, left the scene. No-one was injured in the incident but further enquiries are being made to locate the driver. Officers are also looking at CCTV from the area.'

As reported, Keller's model shop, which had been selling toy cars and planes to youngsters in the city for more than 20 years, closed earlier this month.

The three staff who worked at Keller's have been retained by Modelzone, which now has 33 shops nationwide.

The new shop will sell models, radio controlled cars, trains and Scalextric sets, among other things.