Shocking CCTV footage shows moment thieves smash their way into Morrisons Daily in Wolverhampton stealing £7000 of goods

The manager of Morrisons Daily on Stubby Lane in Wednesfield is calling to make the area 'safer for everyone' after a group of thieves broke into their store on Monday morning, as well as a number of other businesses in the area in recent months.

The gang targeted the shop at around 3.30am and made off with around £7000 worth of vapes, tobacco and cigarettes. 

CCTV footage shows a car pulling up outside and one of the offenders smashing through the glass door with a crowbar before squeezing through the gap holding a large rubble bag. He is followed in by two accomplices who begin raiding the till area where the cigarettes were being kept. 

Manager Gokul Saravanan says it is not the first time the shop has been robbed, and that it has happened three times in the past few months. He believes it is the same culprits every time.

As a result, the business, which is a franchise operated by Samy Groups, has had to change its opening hours from 24-hour to 6am - 11pm for the 'safety of staff and customers'.

Gokul spoke to the Express & Star about what happened on the night. 

He said: "They came in a car, there were four people. One guy jumped from the car and with an iron rod, he got under the shutters and pulled a piece of the shutter off. He then broke the glass on the front door glass through the gap in the shutter, and three of them got inside. They jumped into the till area and took all of the cigarettes."

Since the second robbery in December, where the thieves made off with around £15,000 worth of cigarettes, staff have stored only half of the supply of cigarettes in the front of the shop, but they were all stolen on Monday. 

Gokul says their neighbouring businesses, One Stop and Premier, have also been robbed recently by a group 'using the same method' to break in as the group that broke into the Morrisons Daily, leading the shop-owners to believe that it is the same repeat offenders. 

"This is a dangerous area, and police need to take our complaints more seriously," the manager said.

 "It is not just about our sales being affected but the cashiers are anxious and worried. These robbers have had three opportunities at the same shop. It is in the police's hands to make this area safer. Everyone knows it is a dangerous area."

West Midlands Police and Morrisons have been contacted for comment.