A CYCLE shop in Petersfield was broken into and a bike worth hundreds of pounds was stolen during a burglary last Wednesday (January 20).
Cyclelife, of Dragon Street, had its front door ripped off and about £200 stolen from the till.
A rare Raleigh M-Trax 3.0 with a red and white frame was then taken.
Owner Martin Brown, who lives in Four Marks, was phoned by a neighbour in Drago
n Street at about 3am on Wednesday morning to inform him of strange noises outside his shop.
Martin said: "He said 'someone or some people out here are really trying to break into your shop'.
"I thought I had better come down. When I got there, there were about six police cars outside, with dogs and everything. They told me someone had tried to get inside the building a little bit away from the main entrance. The building was still locked up and nothing had been taken, so I left for home."
However at about 6am the burglary attempt was resumed and Mr Brown returned to the shop to discover it had been broken into.
Mr Brown said: "I got another call from my neighbour saying I had better come down. This time they had ripped the door off and got inside.
"My push bike was stolen, a couple hundred pounds from the till was missing and other bits and bobs were taken."
He estimated the damage caused to his shop was worth about £500.
"Police told me they have got footprints from inside - forensics have been in and got some good evidence," he added.
He appealed for anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in Dragon Street between 3am and 6am on Wednesday, January 20, or who has come across a red and white Raleigh M-Trax 3.0 bike, to contact Hampshire Police on 0845 045 4545 or call Cyclelife on 01730 266644.
