A Crouch End Chinese restaurant owner has said it was lucky nobody was hurt after a masked group set off a flare firework inside.

Martin Wong, 39, the manager of Jade Palace on Broadway Parade said that the incident had left one of his staff in tears, and unable to return to work.

“They thought it was a bomb at the time. They were all shocked and shaken. One member of staff was crying, she hasn’t been back since.

“We are lucky that nobody was near where the firework was, and all we had was a bit of burnt carpet,” he said.

The restaurant has CCTV footage of the event. Police were called but did not attend the scene.

The group of three who threw the firework in just before 6.30pm on Friday October 20 were wearing black clothes, including hoodies and gloves.

The restaurant, which also operates a takeaway, was not closed due to the incident, and opening hours have stayed the same.