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'Sledgehammer' burglary treated as race hate crime

BBC A smashed window of a fast food shop, printed on it is a multi-coloured 'OPEN' sign and a picture of a pizza, fanta can and chips. BBC
Three masked individuals used sledgehammers to damage the front door of Pizza Max in Bushmills

Police are treating a burglary at a pizzeria in County Antrim as a racially-motivated hate crime.

Three masked individuals used sledgehammers to damage the front door of Pizza Max in Bushmills on Wednesday morning. They then caused further damage inside.

Police said they received a report at 02:25 BST of the incident. It is not believed that anything was taken.

No one was inside the premises at the time.

'We'll stand tall'

Smashed glass all over the ground and a wooden frame and red sticky velcro material on the glass
It is not believed that anything was taken from inside the pizzeria

The business said the incident was "heartbreaking".

In a post on Facebook, Pizza Max Bushmills said: Our Bushmills store, which has been working hard to serve the local community with love and dedication, was vandalised. We're here trying to build something good - but this is what we got in return."

In the post, the business owners gave thanks to supporters and added: "We'll clean up, stand tall, and continue growing stronger. Let's continue to spread kindness, not damage."

The police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them.