Raiders flee with designer clothing

It's believed that the smash and grab raiders escaped with designer clothing valued at as much as £15,000 from E May Clothing in Hughenden Yard.

The store's burglar alarm was set off at 2.38am on Monday. Police say it took the thieves less than a minute to smash one of the shop's glass doors with a brick, and jemmy away security shutters.

PC Andy Sexton, who is investigating the burglary, said the raiders set off the store's burglar alarm when they hurled a brick through the glass door. They then used some sort of crowbar to prise steel security shutters from their mountings.

Once inside the gang headed for a rack of shirts with designer labels including Moschino, Kenzo, Full Circle, Sealkay and Versace. They also took jeans by a number of designers including Versace and Gucci.

In their hurry the thieves dropped a considerable amount of clothing as they made their way from the shop and up the steps into the Hyde Lane car park where they had their getaway vehicle.

Shop owner Marco Assini confirmed it was the sixth time the shop had been broken into in the seven years it had been open.

Mr Assini said the steel shutters were installed two years ago after the last break in.

He said: "We have been broken into so often that every night we try to put as much as we can into a safe place.

"When they broke in this time they just grabbed whatever they could and we are still trying to work out what is missing."

It's believed the raid was timed for when there was likely to be no one about either in the town centre or in the car park behind Hughenden Yard.

An hour later postmen and women would have been arriving for work at the Marlborough sorting office at the side of the car park.

PC Sexton would like to hear from anybody who saw two or three men acting suspiciously in the area between 2am and 3am.

He can be contacted at Marlborough Police Station on (01672) 512311 or information can be left in confidence on the Crimestoppers line 0800 555 111.