Seeing shop fire like being 'punched', owner says

The owners of businesses in East Sussex affected by an incident in which a car hit a shopfront and then caught fire have described the situation as "devastating", "a huge shock" and "a bit of a blur".

At about 02:25 BST on Sunday, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service attended a vehicle fire on Sutton Road in Seaford that later spread.

Sue Bedford, owner of drycleaners The Iron Lady, was on holiday when the car hit her business and on returning was shocked at "how small and black" her shop looked.

She told BBC Radio Sussex: "When my daughter drove me past, it was like getting punched really...devastating is the only way I can describe it."

Penny Jenner, co-owner of Jason's Barbers, which was burnt in the fire that followed the crash, was also confronted with the news while away on holiday.

She learned about the incident on the "first day" of her trip, and has since been told by her daughter that "it's a lot worse than what you realise".

Jenner said she is still processing what has happened.

"It was a huge shock - we don't really know how to feel at the moment, we're kind of numb," she said.

The Seaford community has rallied around both women.

Bedford's friend Naomi Young has set up a fundraising page to "try and help her through this time".

Young said: "She works so hard. She's been there six days a week for the last 15 years, and it's such a tough job, it's really physical, especially through this summer.

"It's so hot in there, it's like being in an oven."

Bedford said she felt "quite emotional" at the gesture.

Jason's Barbers is able to keep trading as they "deal with the carnage", Jenner said, thanks to various offers of a barbering space.

How the community has come together is "heart-warming", she added.

Bedford, who was on her first holiday in three years, said the fallout from this fire has been a "bit of a blur".

For an "overwhelmed" Jenner, it is about taking the situation "one step at a time".

Sussex Police has since confirmed that a 48-year-old woman, arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson, theft of a motor vehicle, and driving without valid insurance, has been bailed pending further enquiries.

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