Shop Famous For Shutter Incident Hit Headlines Again After Car Crash

According to BBC UK, the Best-One shop located in Tonteg, Rhondda Cynon Taf, has attracted renewed media attention following a recent incident where a Jaguar drove through its facade after striking bollards and impacting the shop's coffee machine. This shop had previously become viral in March 2024 when a staff member named Anne Hughes was caught on the shutter while waiting to begin her shift. Anne, who passed away in 2025, was reportedly left suspended 7ft (2.1 metres) in the air and was heard calling for the owner's assistance, with the CCTV footage of that event being viewed by tens of millions of people.

Employees at the shop expressed their shock regarding the latest event on Friday, describing themselves as feeling "scared" when the vehicle drove into the shop's entrance. Donna Davies, who has been employed at the shop for several years, stated that the car passed straight through, causing a loud noise, and initially, the staff did not know what was occurring, speculating it might have been ram-raiders. She later mentioned that she exited and observed an elderly driver and passenger, both regular patrons of the shop, inside the vehicle. Donna explained that the driver stated his foot slipped while attempting to exit the car, causing it to move straight into the building.

Local graffiti artist Tee2Sugars had previously immortalized Anne's viral moment on the shutter. He has since updated the shutter to incorporate the image of the car smashing through the shop's front. Donna Davies noted that she had worked with Anne prior to her death and believed Anne would find the updated shutter amusing. She added that customers visiting the shop that morning have found the situation amusing, though she qualified that this was a retrospective view.

The shop's front sustained significant damage from the collision, but the owner and family worked through Friday and Saturday to repair the entrance and maintain operations for customers. Hakim Akram, who is the shop owner's nephew and works there, described the event as a shock, noting that the car appeared to fly through, and he was unaware of what transpired until he saw the vehicle. He characterized the experience as surreal and very loud, mentioning that people initially viewed the footage on social media as either a prank or AI-generated content. One customer, Shaun, expressed his disbelief, commenting on the sequence of events following the incident involving the lady on the shutter.

The family of Anne Hughes informed BBC Wales that they were very relieved that no one sustained serious injuries. Her son, Ceri, made a comment suggesting they were questioning if the events were an inside job due to the shop's occurrences. The family also stated they were pleased that the artwork depicting Anne was not damaged. Her grandchildren, Lilly and Alex, remarked that their grandmother would be pleased with the new addition to the shutter and joked that she would have preferred a Bentley but would be content with a Jaguar next to her on the shutter.