This week England has been rocked by looting and rioting in some of the country’s major towns, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds amongst others. With tenuous threads to a peaceful process over a police shooting in London, mindless yobs have been ransacking the business of innocent owners for their own selfish gains.

With excuses such as “we are getting our taxes back”, I amongst millions of others are outraged by such disrespectful behaviour, so much so that they are fighting back to protect their communities and businesses. Sadly, this bravery has led to the death of three young men in a hit and run in Birmingham, which further outraged the country and made people more determined than ever, not to let people get away with such atrocities.

Many, many websites have been springing up with pictures of looters and rioters with pleas for identification and business owners have been heading out at night to protect their properties. This leads me onto Hairbomb Hero with a difference, Louise Johnson – a 52 year old grandmother from Wolverhampton.

Louise owns Louise’s Hair salon on Wolverhampton’s Queen’s Street and was determined to protect it when looters swamped the street earlier in the week. Louise said of the incident “My daughter was screaming at me to come inside but I said ‘no’ I am not going anywhere…I had to stand up and fight for what’s mine…I decided to stay because if I leave my shop they would have destroyed it. I heard them coming so I just stand outside and I put my hands up and I ask them ‘please don’t touch my shop.’ …I continued swearing at them and I said please don’t smash my shop.” Her brave and inspirational actions also protected the women’s fashion store, Prima Donna, next store.

So happy was Prima Donna’s owner, Struan Robertson that he sent Louise a bottle of champagne that she plans to share with he employees on Saturday. Louise has been receiving calls of kudos as well as other gifts from the public, for her brave actions protecting her neighbourhood.

So if you live in Wolverhampton and need a haircut, head on down to Queen’s Road and see Louise. She certainly deserves it – Hairbomb salutes you Louise.

- This is Gems, Signing off!