A vape shop in Totton has been raided by thieves after a truck rammed into the building.

Tidal Vape on Rumbridge Street was rammed into at around 3.20am yesterday morning, with the thieves making off with thousands of pounds worth of vapes.

Shocking CCTV footage showed dust showering down from the ceiling and glass shattering as the vehicle hit, with the metal frame buckling under the impact.

Masked men then ran inside, grabbing armfuls of vapes and throwing them into a bag before hopping back into the truck with the stolen goods and making off.

Daily Echo: The shop was hit in the early hours of Sunday morningThe shop was hit in the early hours of Sunday morning (Image: Submitted)Speaking later that morning, CEO of Tidal Vape, Ben Richardson, 33, said: “I was very surprised with the amount of damage that the store had sustained. Watching the CCTV back was a total shock.

“The potential cost for us is going to be in the tens of thousands.

“We’re not going to be open and serving to customers in Totton for a while. The building has not been made structurally sound at this time, so we can’t let anyone inside."

READ MORE: Vape store ram raid captured on store's CCTV camera

Mr Richardson felt the impending ban on disposable vapes was the motivation behind the incident.

He said: “This particular store in Totton has been open for eight years and has been doing well.

“We’ve already got the impact of the disposable vape ban which is going to have an effect on our business and what we sell.

“I believe that is exactly why we’ve been targeted in this way - the vape ban is only going to push up the black market for disposable vapes.”

Daily Echo: The shop has incurred thousands of pounds worth of damage The shop has incurred thousands of pounds worth of damage (Image: Submitted)The family-run business started with a store in Bitterne Triangle nine years ago, and now has 24 stores across the south coast.

The chain CEO said that other Tidal stores had been the victim of theft in the past but never to the extent of being ram raided.

He was fearful that their other shops could now be targeted.

Hampshire police are investigating the ram raid.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We are investigating a report of a burglary at Tidal Vapes in Totton, which happened around 3.20am this morning.

“It was reported a large quantity of vape items was stolen from inside the store.

“Officers attended and enquiries are ongoing.”