THIEVES smashed their way into a Dorchester shop before stealing cash from the premises.

The raiders broke into Carpets Select, in the Grove Trading Estate, through a window on Friday night and stole around £300 cash.

Steve Wheller and John Cropp jointly own the business, which has been trading in Dorset for 15 years.

Mr Wheller said there had been other burglaries on the industrial estate and that he suspected the break-in was carried out by ‘professionals’.

He said: “There have been a few other break-ins around here but luckily we’ve never been targeted before.

“We locked up on Friday night and John discovered the break-in on Saturday morning when he came to open up.

“They must have scaled the roof and then used a ladder to get across because the window is nearly 100 foot off the ground. The gap they got through was tiny.

“We think there was probably more than one of them and it seems like a professional job.”

He added: “There’s never a lot of cash left here overnight, they made off with about £300.

“It’s not so much the money as the hassle and the inconvenience.”

The offenders smashed three panels of glass and damaged a metal bar in the window to gain access to the premises.

Mr Wheller said: “The damage they’ve caused is going to be quite expensive to fix because this is a listed building.

“They’ve bent the metal bars as well as smashing the glass and it’s all got to be put back as it was.

“Times are hard these days and here we are struggling away and trying to make an honest living and then someone goes and does this.”

He added: “We do have cameras up and we’re going through our CCTV footage to see what we’ve got.

“The police were great and we would like to say thank you to them for their time.”

The business supplies flooring and carpet across Dorset and employs six local staff.

Mr Wheller added: “We’ve been trading for 15 years and have been at this site for a couple of years.

“The showroom has been expanded and the business is doing really well, hopefully we won’t have any more setbacks like this.”

Police appeal

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “The break-in at Carpets Select was reported at 9.04am on Saturday morning.

“We believe it took place in the late hours of Friday night or early hours of Saturday morning.

“The offenders got into the building via a window and stole a cash box. No arrests have been made.

“We are appealing for anyone who knows anything about this incident to call us as soon as they can.”

Call Dorset Police on 101 with information.