Rung 'uns! (From Free Press Series)

Rung 'uns!

THIEVES raided Pontypool's indoor market in a brazen burglary carried out in full view of the local police station.

In an elaborate break-in, thieves climbed onto the roof of the building, entered through a window, then used two 8ft ladders - believed to have been left by workmen - to rig up a pathway from the roof to the market floor.

They made off with close to £2,000 of traders' cash and slashed blinds on a number of stalls, causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

The break in has gutted the independent business people who have already struggled to continue trading when footfall in the town fell.

Nine stalls were broken into and seven or eight had cash stolen. Many of those affected were robbed of floats in their tills.

The burglars also made off with knives and gloves from a hardware shop and a box of sweets from a stall, which opened just a month ago. Phil's Pantry, was hit hardest as thieves took £900 from a cash box.

Owner Phillip Joliffe saw two ladders standing where thieves had left them when he came in for work on Friday morning - one was propped up against the open roof window leading to the roof of an empty stall, the second was on the ground leaning against the same stall.

"It is awful for us. I won't get insurance to cover the loss and it's a lot of money to lose.

"I had put the money ready for banking and they even took the paying in book.

"I know you shouldn't leave money, but you just don't imagine it is going to happen," he added.

The alarm sounded at 0.45am on Friday and an officer responded. Walking around the market, he saw no obvious signs of a break-in. An attempt to contact the key-holder was unsuccessful.

Police realised it had not been a false alarm when they received a call when the market opened and traders' found signs of a break-in.

A spokeswoman at Torfaen CCTV said that tapes from Market Street show a woman leaving the Winning Horse just five minutes before police arrived on the scene.

She said: "It appears as though thieves accessed the building via Crane Street and that camera was vandalised and wasn't working at the time."

Gwent police is appealing for witnesses who saw anyone acting suspiciously at around closing time on Thursday evening, to come forward.

Anyone with information about the burglary can call police on 01633 838111.