THIEVES cut through metal shutters of a hardware supplier and got away with £500 worth of stock.

The crooks targeted PowerFix in Peartree Road, Stanway, just after 2am yesterday.

Company director Steve Brooker was made aware of the raid when he arrived at work.

He said: “It looks to me as if they have used an angle grinder to cut a hole into it.

“They tried to knock out the bit from the top first, but then cut their own hole in the shutter.

“Then once they had the hole they’ve taken a couple of power tool kits so it could have been a lot more.

“In truth, it probably wasn’t worth the effort of what they did compared to what they got away with.”

Mr Brooker, who has been in charge of the firm for 30 years, added: “We have had one break-in before and another attempted break-in.

“The last one they smashed the glass at the front of the shop which was easy enough for us to repair.

“This is probably going to be a lot more difficult. We might need a whole new door.”

Gazette:

Alan Hart was woken up the sound of the raiders as he slept in his nearby flat.

He shouted at the men while he called the police.

Mr Hart said: “I heard a banging sound, like someone bashing their hand against a sheet of metal.

“My bedroom window faces onto the site so I looked out and saw this matte BMW which was either grey or black which I thought was a bit odd.

“There were three men - one was acting as a lookout - and the other two tried to break in.

“I was shouting at them and they looked up to see me at the window.

“It must have disturbed them a bit because they shoved what they had got into the car and all scarpered.”

Mr Hart said the gang were all men who wore dark clothing and covered their faces with masks or hoods.

They drove off the business park in the BMW towards Straight Road.

Anyone with information about the raid should call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.