It took a ram raid to end a quarter of a century of trading for a Bradford shopkeeper.

Now, after more than two months of repairs, Delph Hill Newsagents in Woodside Road, Wyke, is set to re-open on Saturday.

More than £30,000 of damage was caused to the premises when the raiders used a car to smash their way in on April 17 to steal cigarettes and alcohol. The raiders had carried out a separate raid on a Londis mini-market in Bradford Road, Liversedge, an hour earlier, also causing extensive damage.

Tina Maisuria, 31, whose dad, Umak-ant, owns Delph Hill Newsagents, said the crime had had a devastating impact on her family She said: “It’s not just the financial side, but the distress it has caused to my dad.

“He has worked there each day of his life for 25 years. He had not once stopped trading in that time.

“The level of damage caused by this mindless act has had a terrible impact on him because he is so used to being at the shop.”

Miss Maisuria said the closure had also inconvenienced the shop’s regular customers, who had been asking when it was going to reopen.

She said: “I know that our customers have had to go further afield and they have been looking forward to us reopening.”

The ram raid caused massive damage to the shop front, ceiling and counter.

Miss Maisuria, who lives in Gomersal, said it had taken weeks to sort the cost of the repairs out with insurance loss adjusters and the family was looking forward to re-opening.

She said: “The whole family has rallied round to get it to this stage where it is ready to start trading again.”