A NEW FOREST businessman is determined to battle on despite having £18,000-worth of car stereo equipment stolen four days after he opened his shop.

Burglars smashed their way into the Ultimate In Car shop in the parade at Ashurst at about 4am on Friday and stripped it of almost its entire stock of display screens, satellite navigation units, compact disc players and speakers.

Top brand names including Alpine, Kicker, JL, Phoenix Gold, Sony and Kenwood were included in the haul and now Totton police, who can be contacted on 0845 045 4545 are keen to hear from anyone who sees any of it offered for sale.

Police are also keen to hear from anyone who noticed a van, or possibly a large car, in the Lyndhurst Road area of Ashurst in the early hours of Friday.

Equipment worth about £2,000 was arranged on stands was not taken, but it was damaged beyond repair.

In kicking their way through the front door and windows, they also left the firm's managing director Mike Hooper facing a £3,500 bill for a new and stronger shop front.

"I was called to the shop after it had happened and when I got here, my reaction was one of disbelief.

"Everything was in a terrible mess and the new floor had been sliced up by glass.

"But now I am more determined than ever to keep going and not to let them beat me," he said, adding that although the shop was boarded up for safety reasons, it was still open for business.

Ultimate In Car, which deals in state-of-the-art equipment, had previously been based on the Rushington Business Park for 14 years, but had recently taken the decision to move into a retail shop.

"Business was starting to get quite brisk with quite a few people coming in and the signs were good," Mr Hooper added.