Police gave chase after the man went on the rampage through King Street, Maidstone, Kent, on Sunday (May 11) around 8.10pm.

The aftermath has been likened to a "warzone", with the total cost of the damage potentially running into thousands of pounds.

A video shows the vandal damaging the windows of The Mall shopping centre, Kokoro and Real Eating Company restaurants. After approximately two minutes, two officers arrived at the scene and pursued the man down Gabriel's Hill, where he allegedly hurled the fire extinguisher at them.

A 23 year old man was subsequently arrested, according to the police.

Other businesses affected include Sainsbury's, PureGym, Knight Edmonds and Page & Wells estate agents. The Real Eating Co had to close its doors on Monday, and the automatic doors at The Mall are currently out of order.

David Page from Page & Wells described the scene: "There was glass everywhere - absolutely everywhere."

He added: "One of the staff knew from social media. It's just a complete hassle for us. Every window is smashed. The door is smashed. Some of our interior illuminated fixtures are damaged. It's huge."

He expressed his disappointment, saying: "We are extremely disappointed. We spent the last hour hoovering glass. It's just senseless vandalism."

He concluded: "We've had our windows broken before but nothing like this. It's just violent disorder really."

Julie Clark from Real Eating Co described the timing of the incident: "I don't know when exactly this happened, but I left here at 5.30pm yesterday and nothing had happened then so it must have been sometime after six."

She expressed relief that no one was injured, while also sharing her frustration: "I'm just relieved nobody was hurt. We've been told it's a fire extinguisher, but what is so annoying is apparently he came from Sainsbury's and he came all the way along here causing damage and this is the last place he got to."

Clark outlined the impact on her business: "I've lost today's trade, I have had to cancel all our deliveries, and I have had to throw away a bunch of food. We're only a small company, and to lose a few days of trade does make a huge difference."

Reflecting on the danger, she added: "Where he got a fire extinguisher from I do not know. We're an all-girl team here. Had we been in, I don't know what might have happened."

Alex Knight from Knight Edmunds shared his own concerns: "It's frustrating. You're trying to get on, you're trying to run a business - just work from day to day and then Monday morning you come in, have a full list of things you want to get done for the week, and then all of a sudden you have to go shopping around for quotes trying to get new windows fitted."

With a sense of resilience, he stated: "We are an independent business, a single branch. It hurts but it is what it is - you just have to get on with it."

A Kent Police spokesperson reported that they were called at about 7.45pm to a break-in at Sainsbury's where the store's windows were heavily damaged.

He further stated: "Within minutes, officers were at the scene where it is alleged the fire extinguisher was thrown at them and damaged a police vehicle.

"After a short pursuit, the 23-year-old man was detained and taken into custody."

A representative from Sainsbury's commented: "Police attended an incident at our Maidstone superstore on Sunday evening and we are supporting them with their investigation."