A shop owner attacked by looters on Sunday night re-opened for business today.

Maveed Azam, owner of S&G Food and Wine on Streatham High Road, decided to close his shop early because he was fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.

But, as he locked up at about 10pm, a gang of eight youths came in and hit him over the head with a brick. Mr Azam fell to the floor and briefly lost consciousness.

As blood poured from his head, the group raided his shop, stealing cigarettes and alcohol. They then escaped with their loot, leaving the injured shopkeeper on the floor. It was one of several attacks on the High Road during Sunday night, as looting and rioting spread across south London.

Despite suffering severe swelling to his left eye, Mr Azam re-opened his shop today.

He said: “Everything in the shop is a mess. I am in a lot of pain. I cannot sleep on one side.

“But hopefully everything will be better in the next few days. It is normally a quiet area in Streatham and we do not have any trouble here.”

He said he was “confident” the police would catch the gang responsible for the attack.

Asked why he thought they had chosen to loot his shop, he said: “What can you say? I think they just did it for fun.”

A police forensic team has already searched the off licence for evidence.

Lee Alley, Chairman of the Streatham Business Board, said he was “appalled” by the looting of shops in the area.

He said: “We have all put so much effort in and sacrificed so much to get where we are. At the end of the day, you are looting from a person.

“It has got nothing to do with cuts and politics. It is just people that want to score a 50inch plasma television.”