SHOCKING CCTV footage has emerged of a pizza shop owner taking on arsonists with a snooker cue.

Caspian Pizza, in Sidbury, Worcester, was twice attacked in December last year and the footage was shown on BBC programme CrimeWatch Roadshow on Monday.

One of the owners of Caspian Pizza was sleeping in an unused building next door during the second attack in a bid to step up security after the first strike on the shop.

On hearing the glass being smashed at the property on Wednesday, December 28, the owner went into the shop and fought off the arsonists, who were armed with a hammer and a petrol canister, with a snooker cue to stop the flames catching hold.

Two men had smashed through a glass door before pouring petrol all over the takeaway.

They fled after being confronted at around 2.20am.

Police are hunting two Asian men, in their late teens or early twenties.

During the first attack on Friday, December 9, flames threatened the building with two sleeping tenants upstairs. They were only woken up after passers by alerted them.

PC Dave Foley, of West Mercia Police told CrimeWatch: "This could have been a lot more serious.

"We could easily have been dealing with a murder investigation instead of an arson investigation."

Police believe that they are searching for the same suspects for both attacks.

Wasib Shah, one of the owners of the shop, said: "It could have been a lot worse, the fire could have spread to the room upstairs.

"The shop can always be replaced and you can get more equipment, but human life cannot be replaced."

During the first attack on Friday, December 9, at 4.20am, suspects entered the shop using a crow bar to smash the glass and poured petrol on the floor, engulfing the takeaway in flames.

The duo ran away on foot along London Road before getting into a dark coloured Audi.

The family owned business have been trading in Worcester since the 1980s.

Anyone with information, contact DC Dave Foley at West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 065S of December 9 or 046 of December 28

* Footage courtesy of West Mercia Police