Two businesses in the Burnham-On-Sea area are counting the cost of crime after two burglaries in one night earlier this week.
A gang of four men are thought to be behind the break-ins at the Oaktree Arena near Highbridge and Sanders Garden World in Brent Knoll during the early hours of Monday (May 6th).
A safe full of money was stolen from the Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop at Sanders Garden World and petty cash was stolen from The Oaktree’s restaurant.
Bill Hancock, owner of The Oaktree, pictured above, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The thieves broke their way into our restaurant through a window and then smashed through three doors to search for money.”
“They also broke a fence to get onto our land, leaving 19 cattle roaming along the A38. We were left chasing cows along the road at 2am and fortunately managed to catch them near the Lakeside housing development.”
Two miles further along the A38 on the same night, at around 3.15am on Monday, police say a group of burglars also broke into Sanders Garden World.
“A door was forced to gain entry to the Edinburgh Woollen Mill shop and the intruders took a safe containing money and made good their escape across a rhyne,” Inspector Roger Tolley told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“The empty safe was found next to a bridle path in the village of Mark later in the day.”
He added: “We are keeping an open mind on whether the two burglaries are linked but it is a definite possibility. There are a number of similarities between the two.”
He appealed for anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area late on Sunday night or early on Monday to contact the non-emergency police number, 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
