RAIDERS wielding baseball bats and sledgehammers escaped with hundreds of cigarettes after smashing their way into a village store during an early morning burglary.

RAIDERS wielding baseball bats and sledgehammers escaped with hundreds of cigarettes after smashing their way into a village store during an early morning burglary.

Four men shattered a front window at the Co-operative Store in Long Melford at around 2.55am yesterday.

Their faces covered by balaclavas, they forced open a tobacco cabinet before taking the cigarettes and escaping from the Hall Road store in a silver Subaru Impreza and a silver Volkswagen Passat.

The incident happened just 24 hours after three separate ram raids in Ipswich, Clare and Burwell, and detectives are now investigating to determine any link between the crimes.

"We would like to hear from anyone who has information relating to this offence," said Det Con Andrew Dunn, of Suffolk police.

"The offenders were only at the store for a very short period of time but would have made a considerable commotion.

"Early reports indicate that the offenders sped from the scene in their vehicles in the direction of Bury St Edmunds.

"We would therefore like to hear from anyone who witnessed two silver coloured vehicles being driven erratically in the early hours of this morning."

All four offenders are believed to be male and carried baseball bats or sledgehammers.

The first wore a dark hooded jacket, combat-style trousers, light-coloured gloves and white Nike trainers.

The second was dressed in dark jeans, dark trainers and a light-coloured hooded top with a dark Nike logo in the centre and dark stripe round the middle.

The third wore dark trousers and a dark hooded top with a light stripe across the chest, and the fourth was also dressed in dark trousers and a white hooded top with thin dark stripes down the arms.

The three raids on Thursday morning happened within just a two-hour period at the One Stop Shop, in Reynolds Way, Ipswich, and two Co-op stores on Market Hill in Clare, and North Street, Burwell.

Each time, the offenders escaped with a large quantity of cigarettes.

Detectives are now examining the possibility that the offences may have been carried out by the same gang.

Officers are now appealing for anyone with about the incident in Long Melford to contact Sudbury CID on 01473 613 500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.