BURGLARS stole £4,000 in cash and £10,000 worth of cigarettes from a supermarket in a late night raid.
Two men, one said to be wearing a balaclava, smashed their way into the Co-op, in Rayleigh Road, Hutton, at 11.30pm on Sunday, November 4 before conducting what police described as a "messy search" of the premises.
After grabbing the cash from a safe, and stealing the cigarettes, the raiders fled the store, which had been shut at the time, and made good their escape.
The burglary was reported to Essex Police at 5.51am on Monday, November 5.
Footage from the store's CCTV cameras has been given to police although at the time of going to press, the Gazette had not been able to obtain any still images.
In a brief statement, a Co-op spokesman said: "At around 11.30pm on Sunday, November 4, two people broke into our food store on Rayleigh Road and stole a quantity of cigarettes and cash.
"The store was closed at the time.
"CCTV has been given to the police and as with any incident such as this, we would appeal for anyone with information to come forward."
Rumours that the shop's alarm had not been set properly were dismissed by the company. A Co-op spokesman said:"The alarm is set routinely every night, so it would have been set."
The Gazette understands the men were in their early 20s and one of them was wearing a balaclava.
Anyone who has any information about the burglary should call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111
