BURGLARS have stolen several thousands of pounds of equipment in an overnight raid on a newly-opened business park showroom in Wellington.

The thieves used crowbars and sledgehammers to break their way into the building in Castle Road, Chelston, in the early hours of Thursday (December 21).

The Paul Prettejohn Garden Machinery showroom had only opened eight weeks ago as the company continued its expansion of recent years.

Mr Prettejohn started the business from his home near Honiton in 2000 and opened his first showroom in the Blackdown Garden Centre, on the other side of the A38 from Chelston Business Park, in 2011.

The value of the thieves’ haul on Thursday was put at about £6,000, but thousands of pounds of damage was also caused to the building as the gang smashed their way into it.

Mr Prettejohn told the Wellington Weekly: “Fifteen to 18 chainsaws and disk cutters were stolen, totalling up to approximately £6,000 worth of losses.”

Echo and Mitox handheld machinery were among the brand names taken.

Mr Prettejohn said: “Please can anybody who might be offered new machines for sale please contact us or the police.”

He said the company was able to make a claim on insurance and employees had spent most of Thursday fixing doors and making the building secure again.

Security would now be further tightened to try to prevent any similar incidents in the future.

Avon and Somerset Police said crime scene investigators attended the premises and CCTV footage was being reviewed while inquires were ongoing.