Smoking end to security test
Smoke billowed out of a new, unopened store in Wolverhampton city centre today, as part of a security drill ahead of its grand opening this weekend.
Curious shoppers and workers were outside H&T Pawnbrokers on the corner of Queen Street and Princess Street at about 11am today as the smoke was cleared.
New store manager Hayley Wood said that all H&T Pawnbrokers shops were fitted with anti-burglar smoke deterrents.
It means if the store is targeted by thieves after hours, the building is filled with white smoke to try to prevent them stealing anything and hamper their escape.
"People were asking whether there was a fire but it was nothing of the sort," she said. "It's part of our security system. It will be set up when we lock up each night and, if anyone tries to break in, it will go off like that."
Bosses have spent five weeks revamping the shop and hope to open the doors to the public on Saturday.
The new pawnbrokers has replaced two shops – Carats Pawnbrokers and Sunshine Direct Holidays, which shut in 2010 blaming the rebuilding of the city's bus station for damaging business.
