POLICE were called to a burglary at Alyce Rogers The Salon in Stroud earlier this week which left the owners with substantial damage to their property.

At around 4.30am on Tuesday morning police attended the London Road salon where thieves had broken a small window at the front of the shop and used a wheelie bin to gain access.

Faye Rogers, who co-owns the business with her husband Alex, gave the SNJ additional details: “Although they only made off with around £50 from the till, whoever broke in completely trashed the place.

“They’ve caused over £3,000 worth of damage, pouring alcohol over the shop, spreading dog poo over our furniture and breaking a sun bed too,” she explained.

There were three other potentially related crimes in Stroud on the same day including the attempted theft of a cash machine from Stroud College, the theft of alcohol from The Marshall Rooms and an attempted break in at Emmaus charity shop.

Worryingly the crimes seem to be part of a growing problem in Stroud, that has seen domestic and retail robberies rise by as much as 100 per cent over the last year.

A number of independent Stroud businesses have been targeted by thieves as 154 burglaries took place between November 2016 and October of this year.

At least half a dozen businesses in Stroud have been raided in the last fortnight alone and shop owners are speaking out in an attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice, whilst warning people to be wary of buying potentially stolen second hand goods.

Mike Juggins from Scrolleaters Christian Books and Gifts, was devastated to discover that thieves had broken into the shop between Goodwill Evening and the following morning.

“Not only did they force their way in through the front door and destroy the till, but they also stole my laptop and money from our charity boxes too,” he said.

The impact of a robbery on a small business can be significant, in terms of the value of what is stolen, the emotional stress of dealing with the break in, and the resulting loss of earnings.

Mike and his partner Tineke who jointly run the Brunel Mall business had to close their business for two days to recover from the robbery, which has left them shaken: “We’re here to help, people know they can come to us if they need advice, to get warm, or just for a cup of tea,” said Mike.

“But this has had an impact on us, it’s made us suspicious and really knocked our confidence.”

Stroud Tattoo Company which is opposite the bookshop was also broken into on the same Friday night.

Tom Proctor, who owns the tattoo parlour said that the shop was accessed by the criminals after they pushed through the glass on the front door.

Thieves took an Xbox, a charity tin and a bottle of whiskey and Tom’s 'distinctive' laptop.

Tom explained that the content of his laptop is irreplaceable: “It’s a really distinctive laptop with my shop logo on, so anyone who sees it will recognise it immediately.

“But what’s really upsetting is that all of the photos that I have on my children when they were young were on that computer, we’ve been left with nothing,” he said.

All of the businesses are appealing for witnesses to come forward and Faye from Alyce Roberts is offering a reward for any information that might help catch the thieves: “I can’t believe that no-one saw or heard anything.

"We have foot prints and fingerprints as well as CCTV footage, but if anyone has any additional information then please contact us, we are offering a reward.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information should call 101 or email 101@gloucestershire.police.uk