John Hopper barricaded himself in to save his bathroom fittings shop as looters prowled the streets outside.

As the yobs worked their way down the street, smashing windows and looting stores in London Road, Croydon, Mr Hopper tried to stop them entering Quality Fix.

He said when he initially drove to the shop on Monday night at about 12.30pm there were too many rioters to get to the door.

He said: “As we turned towards the shop there were so many people – about 200 youths on the road and the police were nowhere.”

He eventually parked around the corner and managed to get into to the shop, and immediately began building a barricade using stands and boxes of tiles.

He said: “We saw people look into the windows and we said this is our shop and you have to go away.”

He described the chaos and lawlessness that was happening just outside.

He said: “Someone asked if I wanted any bread.

“Then a bread van came along the road and he stepped out in front of it and tried to pull the driver from the cab.

“Most of the kids were stealing things by the time I got here.”

All the windows in the front of his store were smashed causing about £2000 worth of damage but Mr Hopper said he “got off lightly”.