A MAN was arrested after threatening staff at the Co-op in Wrecclesham with a ‘catapult’ on Saturday evening.

Police were called to the supermarket in Wrecclesham Hill at around 6.20pm following reports that a man was behaving in a threatening manner.

A window at the front of the store had also been shattered, which the police believe “was caused by a catapult”.

A 31-year-old man was arrested in relation to the incident on suspicion of threats to cause criminal damage, and police enquiries remain ongoing.

Eyewitnesses reported a large police presence outside the Co-op on Saturday, and the supermarket was closed for the remainder of the evening following the incident, only reopening on Sunday with the presence of a security guard.

Members of the Co-op’s staff took to Facebook to express their “shock” at the incident, but added they had been asked by police not to say anything.

However, one Facebook user suggested a customer was refused service “so decided to go back with a gun and shot the window”, whole another reported the supermarket’s windows had been smashed “two nights in a row…using a metal BB”.

It is the latest in a string of unfortunate incidents to hit the Co-op in Wrecclesham since it’s long-awaited launch two years ago.

The supermarket lay dormant for around six months before finally opening its doors in January 2015 following issues with its electricity supply, and within a month of opening staff were fined £90 after failing to challenge an underage test alcohol purchaser.

This was followed by two burglaries, the first in August 2015 when masked thieves broke into the closed supermarket and stole a haul of cigarettes, and the second in January this year when a botched ram-raid left a huge hole in the side of the shop.

Anyone with any information related to the latest incident is asked to call Surrey Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 45160111953.

Alternatively, use the online reporting system at report.police.uk/ and enter the reference number in the ‘Additional information’ section or call independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.