Owner of Colley Gate barbers in shock after Mercedes destroys shop

Mohammed Aziz said he woke to a phone call at 4.30am on Sunday (March 3) morning and went to see the scene of devastation at his shop Turkish Barbers on Windmill Hill.

The store has been damaged structurally after a Mercedes crashed into it with the driver, a 20-year-old man who was detained by police, taken to Russells Hall Hospital.

The car smashed into the shop (Image: Kash Khan)

Mohammed, a 32-year-old father-of-one said: "It was such a shock - I couldn't imagine this would happen on a street with a 30mph limit.

"I went straight there - when I got there the police and firefighters were there and a structural engineer.

"It's a good job it was during the night as if it had happened in the day someone could have been killed.

"The crash took out the first chair, which is always busy."

The building is being structurally supported (Image: Newsquest)

Mohammed only opened the shop with his business partner 29-year-old Naby Majeed 16 months ago.

The father of a seven-month-old boy said: "It's devastating. We had just built up trade and had been really busy.

The owner of the barbers shop Mohammed Aziz is facing an uncertain future (Image: Handout)

"Now I don't know if the building will be able to be repaired or how long it will take.

"We can't do anything at the moment - we will have to start from zero again. It's terrible."

Mohammed, who rents the shop from the landlord, said he had been dealt another blow as the firm's insurance expired two weeks ago and he had been shopping around to try to find a cheaper deal.

A 20-year-old man has been detained by police after the crash, which closed the road and diverted buses.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said yesterday: "A car crashed into a building on Windmill Hill just after 3.30am this morning.

"A 20-year-old man was detained and the road was closed while the fire service assisted with making the building safe."

Police said there was no update today.

Windmill Hill reopened at around 6.30pm yesterday, but Highfield Road is still closed.

Dudley Council structural engineers have been alerted regarding the safety of the building.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 3.36am on Sunday to a road traffic collision involving a car and a building on Windmill Hill, Halesowen.

"One ambulance attended the scene.

"Upon arrival we found a man who was the driver of the car.

"He was assessed and had sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

"He was conveyed to Russells Hall Hospital for further assessment.”