The New Year got off to a poor start for one gang of criminals, after going to a lot of trouble to break into a supermarket on January 1.
The gang cut a large hole in a rear fence to reach the service yard of the Tesco store in Chester Road in the Cheshire village of Helsby. They got into the yard at about 9.30pm.
The men then forced their way into the store through a rear door before attempting to raid the tobacco counter, with the trio captured on film forcing up shutters behind the counter. However, unbeknown to the thieves, the counter had been emptied, so they only fled the store with a small quantity of cash from the till.
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The men fled the store via the rear entrance at around 9.40pm and exited the site via the hole in the fence. Police say "enquiries in relation to the burglary are ongoing" and officers are keen to hear from anyone with any information.
Detective Constable Richard Connelley, said: "The investigation is in its early stages and we're following a number of lines of enquiry, including CCTV and forsensics. We know that the men entered the site on foot via the service yard, however it is likely that the trio arrived in a vehicle which they left in the nearby area.
"Therefore as part of the investigation I'm keen to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and believes they nay have witnessed anything suspicious. I'm also urging residents in the nearby areas, including Chester Road, Callender Gardens, and Longster Close, to check their CCTV and ring doorbells to see if they have any footage of the men.
"The same goes for anyone with any dashcam footage. I urge anyone with any information, no matter how small, to the call the team on 101 quoting IML 1447377."
Information can also be reported online at www.cheshire.police.uk/tell-us or anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111
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