THE THEFT of £20,000 worth of fireworks has left a Newport shop on the brink of bankruptcy, its owner says.

Forty-eight boxes of fireworks including rockets, and boxes called “cakes” which fire out multiple fireworks were stolen from Newport Mascots and Party Supplies in Pill in the early hours of Monday morning.

Kerry Holland, 47, who owns the business with her husband Phillip, 49, said the theft had left her absolutely devastated and that she had no idea how the shop was going to survive.

Mrs Holland, who has run the business for more than two years, said: "I fell to my knees when I saw what they’d done.

"I don’t normally work on a Monday but I came in to do some paperwork. I opened the shutters and I just saw stuff everywhere. They had trashed the shop.

"I bought some of the fireworks on credit so I have an £8,500 bill to pay by November 15 or that’s it, it will bankrupt the shop.

"Business hadn’t been good last year so I didn’t renew the insurance. I’ve ordered some emergency stock from the company in the hope that I can sell those and pay off some of the bill but with so many fireworks out on the black market now it is going to be hard to sell them legitimately."

She was left shocked by the force used to get in to the property.

"We have a full front window metal shutter, bolts and locks on all the doors and all the windows have wrought iron bars on them," Mrs Holland said.

"The bars are drilled into the brick work but they have somehow managed to knock them out and then smashed the back window to get in."

Mrs Holland said the shop used to provide mascot costumes, like Mickey and Minnie mouse costumes, to charities such as Ty Hafan and the Ieuan the Lion Memorial Fund, but she feared that she would have to sell off most of those costumes, bringing this service to an end.

Police have asked anyone with any information to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800555111.