Shopfront smashed overnight? How to be boarded up and trading by morning
By Glazing London,
Commercial · Break-in guide
By Glazing London, 24/7 emergency glaziers Published 7 November 2026 5 min read
Shopfront smashed right now? Skip the guide: we board up shops 24/7, usually on site within the hour.
A phone call at 3am to say the shop window has gone is one of the worst a London business owner gets. The good news: with the right steps in the first hour, most shops are boarded, secure and open again for the morning. This is the order we'd do it in, from the glaziers who board shopfronts across Central and North London most weeks.
Quick answer
After a shop break-in: call 999 if anyone may still be inside, otherwise 101 for a crime reference number. Don't touch anything until it is photographed. Then call a 24/7 emergency board up service to make the glass safe, board the opening with framed 18mm boards and keep the entrance usable, and have the replacement toughened or laminated glass measured at the same visit.
The first hour: police, photos, then the board
Securing the shop matters, but evidence comes first, because your insurer and the police both need it.
- Make sure it's safe to go in. If the intruder may still be inside, wait outside and call 999. Don't confront anyone for stock.
- Get a crime reference number. Ring 101 or report online. Insurers ask for it on every break-in claim.
- Photograph before anything moves. Wide shots inside and out, the point of entry, damaged locks, missing stock and the till area. We photograph everything again on arrival, so the boarding never compromises the claim.
- Call the board up service. One call to 07915 903485 and a WhatsApp photo, and we quote a fixed price before travelling, with no call-out fee.
- Tell your insurer. Most policies require you to secure the premises promptly to prevent further loss, so the board-up is part of meeting the policy, not an extra.
How a shopfront is boarded properly
Illustration made with AI to show what a tidy board-up looks like. It is not a photo of one of our jobs.
A shop board is not a sheet of ply screwed over the hole. Large commercial openings catch the wind, invite a second attempt and can damage an aluminium shopfront frame if they're fixed badly. A professional shop board-up looks like this:
- Glass made safe first. Hanging shards of large toughened or laminated panes are taken out in a controlled way and the pavement cleared, which matters on a busy high street.
- Framed 18mm boards. Large openings are boarded with framed 18mm OSB3 or structural ply sheets, cut to the opening on site, not left overhanging.
- The door kept working. Wherever the structure allows, we board around the entrance so you can trade, and secure the door if its glass is gone too.
- Frame-friendly fixings. Battens braced against the reveal rather than screws through your shopfront frame, so it survives for the reglaze.
- Photos and a written report. You get both for your insurer, landlord or managing agent.
- Glass measured before we leave. The replacement is ordered at the boarding visit, so the reglaze is already in motion.
Which glass goes back in?
Shopfront glazing must be safety glass, and after a break-in, laminated is usually the better call. Toughened glass is strong but shatters completely when it does break, leaving the opening wide open. Laminated glass cracks but stays in one piece, held together by its interlayer, so a second attempt is far slower and noisier. Many London shop owners upgrade to laminated after their first break-in, and it is worth asking your insurer whether it changes your premium.
Our shopfront glazing service covers the full replacement, and we can look at the shop door and locks at the same time through our commercial glazing team.
Landlords, agents and void units
Empty shops and flats get targeted too. We board up void and vacant property between tenancies, after squatters are removed and after a break-in at an empty unit, with the same photos and report for the landlord's records. Managing agents can set up an account so out-of-hours calls go straight to dispatch; see trade accounts.
Boarded tonight, reglazed this week.
24/7 emergency shop boarding up across Central and North London. Fixed price from a WhatsApp photo, no call-out fee, typically on site within the hour.
Related reading & services
Emergency boarding up in London
Windows, doors and shopfronts boarded 24/7, then reglazed by our own glaziers.
What to do after a break-in
The full checklist for homes and businesses, from the first call to the claim.
Broken window insurance claims
Whose policy pays, what's covered and the paperwork insurers ask for.
Shop boarding up questions
How quickly can a smashed shopfront be boarded up in London?
We are typically on site within the hour across Central and North London, 24/7. A single shopfront pane is usually boarded the same night; a full frontage with a door takes longer. Call 07915 903485 and send a WhatsApp photo so the right boards come on the van.
Can I keep trading with a boarded-up shopfront?
Usually yes. A properly framed board leaves the entrance usable, keeps stock secure and can be fitted with a temporary notice so customers know you are open. We board around the door wherever we can, so the shop opens on time.
Who pays for boarding up a shop after a break-in?
Most commercial and shop policies cover emergency make-safe and boarding up after a break-in or vandalism, then the replacement glass. If you rent, check your lease, as shopfront glass is sometimes the landlord's insurance. Get a crime reference number and keep our photos, report and invoice for the claim.
What glass goes back into a shopfront after a break-in?
Shopfront glass must be safety glass, toughened or laminated, and laminated is the better choice for security because it holds together when struck. We measure for the replacement at the boarding visit so it is ordered straight away.
Do you board up offices, pubs and restaurants too?
Yes. Any commercial frontage, office entrance, pub, restaurant or void unit, day or night. Landlords and managing agents can also call us for void property boarding between tenancies.