POLICE had to be called after angry customers raided the shelves of a Basildon flooring store.

Peter Driver and David Coker say they stormed Floors-2-Go, in Miles Gray Lane, after being kept waiting several weeks for orders.

Staff pushed a panic button and called police, who have confirmed there was a dispute between staff and customers.

Mr Driver and Mr Coker both claim they were told they couldn’t collect their orders, even though they were sitting in the warehouse.

Mr Driver, 57, of Rowenhall, Laindon, ordered flooring and glue worth £2,600 on June 20, but had been kept waiting after being promised it would be delivered to him.

He said: “We have proof of what we have ordered so Floors- 2-Go should honour that agreement.

“I started taking my stuff, and plenty of others did – but they called the police, so I thought it was best to put it back.

“There were about eight or nine people down here, some of them helping themselves to their own purchases in the warehouse.“ The Echo understands the flooring chain was bought out by a new owner last Friday.

Mr Driver eventually left with the flooring he was due – worth about £2,100 – but was unable to take the glue.

Fellow customer David Coker, 52, who recently moved from Basildon to Boston, in Lincolnshire, placed a £1,000 order for flooring on June 6 and was told it would be delivered to his new address in mid-June.

When it failed to turn up, he sent his daughter to the Basildon store to track it down.

She said she was told the company had changed hands and would not be able to supply the order.

However, after haggling, she was able to take her father’s flooring.

Mr Coker said: “This isn’t the way I wish to be treated.

“Apparently, customers were taking their own stock and police were called and there were a bit of a kerfuffle.”

Apolice spokesman said: “The store had dealt with it when we arrived, so we left.”

The Echo asked Floors-2-Go to comment and also to tell us who had taken it over, but we got no reply.