Despite seeing his business go up in flames during the riots in Battersea, one businessman is not letting vandals get him down.

Surbiton resident Duncan Mundell, 60, who has run Lavender Hill’s Party Superstore for more than 20 years, could only watch as his shop was gutted by fire after yobs set it alight.

Three weeks on from the carnage, Mr Mundell’s boarded-up shop is a stark reminder of what happened on August 8.

He said: “Obviously I was completely devastated watching the shop I had built up over 20 years burn to the ground.

“I had friends in the road and they told me the shop had been broken into but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

“But then I got the most horrific phone call that said ‘Your shop is on fire’. But by the time I got down there it was burning. I watched it burn out.

“Most of our hire stock was destroyed and a lot of this is completely irreplaceable. That was the saddest thing.”

The shop’s destruction has also had an impact on his own children’s charity, Street Kids Rescue, which he and his wife set up in 2008, after they visited south-east Asia.

But Mr Mundall said he is looking to the future, having found two smaller premises in Battersea, which he plans to use to re-open the business in October, while the Lavender Hill store is rebuilt.

He said: “The community response has been fantastic. I have had hundreds and hundreds of messages of support and people who said they wanted to help clean up.

“I just want to give an enormous thank you to everyone in the community who has been so supportive and thanks to everyone for offering to help.”

In a bid to help boost his charity, Mr Mundall is hosting a variety show at Chiswick Town Hall on September 10, featuring comedian Harry Hill and a host of other performers.

Guest list donations are £25. Raffle tickets are £5 each or £20 for five.