A guitar shop owner has had his livelihood rocked after a band of thieves raided his store and made off with thousands of pounds worth of instruments.

Lou Moodie has offered £1,000 to anyone who can give information which will lead to him to being reunited with a haul of his most expensive guitars.

The 51-year-old, who owns both Colchester's Music Warehouse outlets, says the future of one of the businesses is now in jeopardy following the raid, which left him £15,000 out of pocket.

Mr Moodie said: "It's quite depressing. To be honest sometimes you feel like packing it all in.

"We took this shop over in November last year to have more stock for people to see. To have this happen is so frustrating."

  • Anyone with information about the raid should call Colchester police on 01206 762212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.