Thousands of cigarettes snatched in raid on Newport supermarket
Thousands of cigarettes were stolen when three men smashed a window and raided a supermarket.
The men, all wearing dark clothing, broke a pane of glass in the front door at the Co-op, off High Street, Newport, in the early hours of yesterday. They then forced the shutters up before making off with a quantity of tobacco.
Police rushed to the scene when the alarm sounded but the thieves had already made their escape. The theft happened at about 4.20am. It is not yet known how much stock was taken in the raid, but at least £1,000 of damage was caused.
Chris Ammonds, a spokesman for West Mercia Police, said: "It appears that the thieves approached the supermarket and removed a lower pane of glass in the front door and climbed through. They then prised the shutter up to gain access to the main store.
"It looks like they made off with the tobacco using large green bins. It appears three men wearing dark clothing were responsible."
Police believe the trio might have made their getaway in a green Ford Focus.
Mr Ammonds added: "Officers followed a Ford Focus driving out of Avenue Road, which turned left on to Station Road. The car was last seen on the A41." Mr Ammonds said inquiries were ongoing.
Michelle Hallewell, the owner of Shell's Scrumptious Sweets, said: "There was just glass everywhere, but no police, when I came in in the morning."
It is the latest in a series of attacks on shops in Shropshire in the last few months. On Sunday night a masked gunman brandished a handgun to force staff to hand over cash at the Nisa shop in Bridgnorth. And last month three robbers, who raided 15 Co-op stores across the West Midlands and Shropshire – including stores in Telford and Bridgnorth, were jailed.
