A staff member at a convenience store in Red Lodge which was ram raided for the second time this year says the incident “makes you not want to do the job anymore”.
Billy Has, who is part of the team at the family-run Nisa store in Bellflower Crescent, said a vehicle was driven into the front of the shop around six months ago and thieves got away with £7,000 worth of cigarettes.
This led to the store installing shutters at the front of the shop to act as a deterrent to thieves.
But on Saturday morning at around 2am, an unregistered silver Mercedes 4x4 was driven through the back of the store and police said either two or three offenders, who were wearing balaclavas and armed with sledge hammers, forced the cigarette counter open.
The gang filled a dustbin full of cigarettes before leaving the scene in the Mercedes vehicle, which had no registration plates.
Mr Has said he believes around £7,000 worth of cigarettes were stolen again in the latest incident and that new security options will have to be considered.
He said: “This is the second time in a year that the shop has been hit. The first time they went through the front of the store and took around £7,000 worth of cigarettes.
“We had shutters installed at the front but this time they went through the back into the store room. It’s not good. It makes you not want to do the job anymore.
“Red Lodge is a nice, quiet place, but I suppose that’s why they do it here. I do believe police will catch them.
“We are now looking into more security measures like metal posts which will stop them being able to drive through and into the shop.
“We don’t know how they managed to get through this time, but the big vehicle must have been able to do it. It’s crazy really.”
A spokesman for Suffolk police said: “It is thought there were either two or three offenders with sledge hammers and balaclavas.
“They forced entry to the cigarette counter and filled a dustbin with the contents before leaving the scene in the vehicle.”
Officers are continuing their search for a suspect or suspects in relation to the incident.
Anyone with information is urged to get in contact by calling 101, quoting CAD 29 of August 19.
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