Bispham shop burgled twice in a week

The News and Card Shop on Ashfield Road had its windows broke on September 9 and then September 13.

A large number of cigarettes were stolen from the premises in each incident.

The first incident happened at 1.30am and the second incident was shortly before 5am when the shop opens.

Shop owner, David Sprigg, whose family have owned the shop for 53 years, says he has not experienced any trouble at the corner shop, which is also a post office, for a number of years.

He said: “We were held up by robbers about 30 years ago but apart from that there has not been any trouble to note.

“To be robbed twice in a few days is a little hard to stomach to say the least but the community have been brilliant.

“No one was injured and the items stolen can be replaced.”

Mr Sprigg explained how the shop has four large windows and two of them are now boarded up following the incidents.

CCTV captured the thieves breaking into the shop (inset).

A police spokesman said: “The first incident occurred shortly before 2am.

“A window was smashed using a spade and approximately 200 packets of cigarettes were stolen.

“In the second incident a metal object was used to smash the front window.

“A unknown quantity of cigarettes were stolen in this incident.”

Police detectives are still investigating both of the incidents.

Anyone with information about both incidents should contact police by calling 101 and quoting reference number 153 of September 13.