Whilst the Ealing riots are long forgotten for most, local mini supermarket Spar has been deling with the devastating damage caused, but is now finally ready to part with the bad memories.
It was August 8th 2011 when Spar, Ealing Broadway was attacked by rioters who after looting the local mini supermarket set it alight. Along with a number of flats above the shop, the small but successful business was completely destroyed along with the livelihood of the owners.
However February 2013 saw the reopening of Spar, a year and a half after the riots took place. The shop is now busier than ever with locals welcoming back the convenience store, local resident Margaret Smith said "the Ealing riots caused great devastation especially to our local businesses so it is great to see Spar back up and running."
The rioting began in the late hours of Monday 8th August 2011 with news coverage reporting up to 100 people being involved in the unruly attacks.
Spar was not the only business to be looted, neighbouring shop E-baby was broken into and goods were stolen which were later found by police as the criminals attempted to ship them abroad.
The Ealing riots were extremely upsetting to the residents of the local area who saw rioters behaviour spiralling from looting to setting shops and cars alight and even the death of local man Richard Bowes, aged 68 in which a 22 year old was arrested in suspicion of murder.
Whilst it took 18 months for Spar to reopen surely it has been worth the wait for both the owners and employees as they are welcomed back into the community.
