VANDALS almost ruined Valentine’s Day for dozens of Ellesmere Port couples by forcing glue into the lock of a florist.
Dawn Corcoran arrived for work at Blooming Lovely on Chester Road, Whitby, to get an early start on the busiest day of the year.
But she was left shocked to find glue had been put in the lock, preventing her from putting up the shutters and getting into her shop.
The Interflora store, which sells flowers, stationery and gifts, has only been open since November 2011.
Despite the malicious attack, Dawn remains determined to carry on as normal.
She said: “We had lots and lots of deliveries. I had to get my husband, who had to get a lump hammer. We had to literally break in so it did knock us right back.
“It’s soul-destroying to think somebody could do that to a business.
“The florist down the road had a bit of silicone round the door too but they could get in.”
Dawn says the lock must have been glued between 10pm on February 13 – when she was last in the shop – and 7am, when she arrived on Valentine’s Day.
“We didn’t finish deliveries until 8pm,” she said. “It did knock us back but we fought our way through it. Nobody’s going to stop us.
“It had never entered my head that you could do that.
“It’s really upsetting that anybody could think of doing that, whether it’s a joker or another business.”
Dawn usually works alone but enlisted the help of a part-time florist on Valentine’s Day.
She added: “I’m only a small business. I was very shaken up by it. I felt like I was directly under threat. It’s hard not to take it personally. This is my baby – I’ve built it from nothing.
“People were still coming in even though one of the shutters was down and the other was half down, which is heartening.”
Anyone with information should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
