A BURGLAR is being hunted after breaking into a laundrette leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

The man, believed to be in his mid to late thirties and about 5ft 8in, with blond hair and wearing a white top and dark trousers or jeans, tried to smash through a wall into the back of the Chapelhay laundrette in Weymouth.

He cut his right hand trying to break into a washing powder dispenser that had been out of order for two years, leaving blood across some of the machines before breaking into the back office and trying to clean up.

The man got into the laundrette between St Leonards Road and Franchise Street when the automatic doors opened at 7am.

According to eye witnesses he was seen sitting in the shop at 7.10am before he was disturbed by worker Karen Booth, 38, at about 7.30am. She found him trying to clean up blood from the floor.

She said she didn’t realise what was going on at first, but afterwards described the experience as ‘very scary.’ She added: “He said that two kids had done it and that he had called the police. He was bent over mopping up water and there was blood on the machine. There was a lot of blood around.

“It was very scary when I realised afterwards what had happened.”

Mrs Booth called a neighbour over who called the police and asked the man to hang on as they would want to get a statement from him about the two kids.

She said: “He said he couldn’t stay as he had things to do and walked off. We tried to follow him but lost him.”

A window at the back of the laundrette was later found open but staff believe that he was planning on using to escape rather than as an entrance into the building.

According to staff the burglar made off with a bag of washing powder and a couple of shirts that he used to clean up the water and blood.

Laundrette owner Peter Vaughan-Evans, 62, said that the attack was very odd and meant he would be thinking of investing in CCTV. He said: “It’s bizarre to break into a machine that has been out of order for two years. There’s nothing of any value in there apart from some soap.

“We don’t keep any money in the machines overnight.”

He added: “What annoys me is it was totally pointless, he didn’t get anything from it. It was pointless and stupid. I’m going to have to install CCTV which drives costs up.”

• DORSET police are appealing for witnesses to the burglary.

A spokesman said: “We received a call from the Chapelhay laundrette telling us about the burglary.

“The report we had was that a man with blond hair and dark trousers tried to gain access internally into a back area through a wall.

“We are still investigating but no arrests have been made so far.”

Witnesses and anyone with information should call Dorset police on 01305 222222.