Hampstead High Street shops have windows smashed overnight

Clothes shops Zadig and Voltaire, Balibaris and American Vintage were all targeted, as well as Japanese restaurant Ine.

Metropolitan Police have confirmed that they were called to the incident just before midnight yesterday (September 9).

Dejana Jancuric, who works at American Vintage, told the Ham and High that she was not aware of what had happened until she arrived this morning to open up the shop.

She said: “I got here earlier and lots of the other shops were not open yet.

“I didn’t really know what to do – it’s four shops in a row, including a restaurant which I think is really bizarre.”

American Vintage was among the shops to be targeted (Image: Linda Grove)

Dejana said that other shops in the high street have also recently had their windows smashed in, and that she thought this was a worrying trend.

She added nothing had been stolen.

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Dejana said: “Both our shop windows have been smashed in. We’ve just been told that it happened at some time at around 12 last night.

“Police left a slip under the menswear shop just down the road with a crime reference number when they attended last night.

“We’re the only shop with CCTV and I have been trying to see if I can spot anyone.

“We can’t see anything. It’s really strange.”

Karuto waiter Adnan stands next to the damage at Ine restaurant (Image: Linda Grove)

Damage was also visible further down the street at restaurant Ine, where Japanese café Karuto also hosts a pop-up.

Restaurant manager Maggie Chen said neighbours heard some noise at around midnight, and that it looked as if a hammer or “something heavier” had been used to smash the window.

A police investigation into the incident is now underway. A Met spokesperson said that officers will be speaking to affected business owners to establish "potential CCTV opportunities".

Anyone with information relating to these incidents who has not yet spoken with police should call 101, quoting reference 8287/09Sep.