A shocking video has shown the moment brazen ram raiders smashed into a business and made off with thousands of pounds worth of stock.
The clip shows a motor knocking the shop door off its hinges after bursting through the front shutter.
Two masked men are then seen rushing into the cycle store and stealing two e-bikes worth £4,000 and £3,000 apiece.
READ MORE: Heroic Tesco staff stop towering thief snatching items from shop shelves
One of the two stolen bikes, worth £3,000, was found by police within 45 minutes.
But a medium Cube Stereo Hybrid ONE44 HPC, worth around £4,000, has still not been recovered, as reported by Need To Know.
The raid happened around 2 am on Saturday (22 April) at Skinnergate Cycles in Stockton on Tees, County Durham.
The shop also suffered around £10,000 worth of damage.
A previous break-in in broad daylight last August saw a masked gang of seven in a stolen van cut through the shutters with an angle grinder before smashing the glass.
A spokesperson for the business said of the latest raid: “Don’t support these scumbags, your car, your work tools, your bike could be next.
“They don’t care who they steal from.
“Please think before buying cheap nearly new bikes if there’s no receipt, no handbook, no charger.
“Then it’s more than likely stolen.
“Because of last year’s burglary, we now have a £5,000 excess on contents cover, so we can’t claim for this loss.
“Plus, there are other elements relating to the building damage that won’t be covered either, so the losses will be thousands plus further increases in annual premiums.
“Let’s see if we can find this bike and stop these muppets making money from other people’s misery.”
A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: “Shortly before 2am on Saturday, 12 April police received reports of a black vehicle ramming into a shop on Brunswick Street in Stockton.
“Two males on pedal bikes, with their faces covered and wearing all black clothing, are believed to have entered the store and stolen a bike.
“Enquiries are ongoing and anyone who has information, CCTV or dash cam footage is asked to call Cleveland Police on 101 or visit the website quoting reference number 064391.”
READ MORE: Heroic Tesco staff stop towering thief snatching items from shop shelves
