More than £40,000 raised after music venue smashed

The venue's owner praised the amount of community support they had received

More than £40,000 has been raised after the windows of a music venue in south-west London were "smashed up with hammers", according to the owners.

The Sound Lounge on Sutton's high street was targeted in the early hours of Saturday with five glass panels covering the frontage broken, the owners said in an online crowdfunding appeal.

The incident happened days after the Sound Lounge asked men wearing masks not to attach a union jack to a lamppost on the high street outside, said the venue's owners.

Hannah White, co-founder of the venue, told BBC London she was shocked at the damage but overwhelmed by the community donations to repair the windows.

The incident happened days after Hannah White confronted a group of men putting up flags on lampposts

"We were woken up at 03:00 BST to be told that our windows had been smashed in," Ms White said.

"It's just been a shocking, very sad situation."

On their fundraising webpage, the Sound Lounge's owners said that every glass panel was unsafe and needed replacing.

"Four years ago, when a window was damaged in a customer accident, the repair cost to us was £2,000," the owners said. "We know that costs have gone up in that time, and this time we are looking at five panels.

"The cost to us is huge at a time when we simply don't have the money. We are having to close until further notice."

The windows of the Sound Lounge on Sutton's high street were smashed

Ms White said the donations, totalling £35,006 in less than 24 hours, were overwhelming.

She said: "We've had loads of local businesses, community groups, individuals, bands, artists contacting us like asking what they can do, making me emotional, and showing solidarity and expressing support and that's really moving.

"There's definitely more good out there than anything else."

The Metropolitan Police said it was investigating an allegation of criminal damage at a business premises on Sutton High Street.

Inquiries continue and no arrests have been made, the force said.