DETERMINED thieves ransacked a village store while the owner was enjoying a Mexican holiday.
Thieves smashed down gates and reinforced doors after disabling a sophisticated alarm system at a Terry Gregory's Spar convenience store in Mosley Common.
Bottles of spirits, cigarettes and cash were taken in the raid which happened between 10pm on Friday and 9am on Saturday, when store manager Jean Davison opened up.
Jean was horrified to find the shop had been ransacked.
She told the Journal: "The place was a real mess. They must have reversed a vehicle through the gates then smashed through the rear doors which are reinforced with metal snapping off the bolts."
Before the break-in the thieves had disarmed the alarm system and cut through phone wires.
The store was closed to customers on Saturday morning but reopened later that day.
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