Bomb shocks practice

A Cambridge independent practice was vandalised last week when a homemade bomb posted through the letterbox exploded. 

A passer-by who saw smoke coming from the building alerted police and the fire brigade to the scene. Five families living above the practice also said they felt the force of the explosion.

Practice manager Kawyin Hiew told optician that she was unaware of the explosion until she arrived at Cherry Hinton Opticians the following morning on August 2 to find the front boarded up.

'This is an area where we have difficulties with vandals and anti-social behaviour,' she said. 'But this sort of thing is an extra worry, given the present climate after the July bombings in London.'

Nobody was harmed in the explosion but Hiew's practice remains boarded up and the interior is damaged.

'Display units were smashed in the corner, a fan on the counter was blown to pieces and a number of frames were trampled on when police and firemen entered the practice,' she said.

Police in Cambridgeshire have issued an information sheet to businesses across the county advising them to review their security plans, remain vigilant and report anything they believe to be suspicious.