More than 40,000 raised after music venue smashed

"More than 40,000 has been raised after the windows of a music venue in south-west London were "smashed up with hammers", according to the owners. The Sound Lounge on Sutton's high street was targeted in the early hours of Saturday with five glass panels covering the frontage broken, the owners said in an online crowdfunding appeal. Hannah White, co-founder of the venue, told BBC London she was shocked at the damage but overwhelmed by the community donations to repair the windows."

"On their fundraising webpage, the Sound Lounge's owners said that every glass panel was unsafe and needed replacing. "Four years ago, when a window was damaged in a customer accident, the repair cost to us was 2,000," the owners said. "We know that costs have gone up in that time, and this time we are looking at five panels. "The cost to us is huge at a time when we simply don't have the money."

The Sound Lounge on Sutton High Street in south-west London had five glass panels covering its frontage smashed in the early hours of Saturday, forcing the venue to close until further notice. The attack occurred days after staff asked masked men not to attach a Union Jack to a nearby lamppost. Crowdfunding raised more than £35,000 in less than 24 hours to pay for repairs, with owners stating every panel was unsafe and replacement costs have risen since a previous £2,000 repair four years earlier. Local businesses, artists and residents offered support. The Metropolitan Police opened an investigation into criminal damage; no arrests have been made.

Read at www.bbc.com