The owner of a jewellers in Little Wymondley has labelled the burglars who ram-raided his shop and stole thousands of pounds worth of vintage watches as ‘daft and amateurish’.

The Comet: Police want to speak to this man in connection with a ram-raid in Little Wymondley.Police want to speak to this man in connection with a ram-raid in Little Wymondley. (Image: Archant)

A jeep-type vehicle was used to ram the metal shutters of Andrew Charles Watch and Clockmakers on Stevenage Road, Little Wymondley, at about 3am last Wednesday before thieves stole a haul of watches inside.

Speaking to the Comet, managing director Andrew Page said: “I was pretty shocked and surprised. I am just relieved no-one was hurt.

“The property is looked after by a security monitoring company and I had a call from them soon after 3am when the alarm went off.

“I expected something like this to happen sooner or later, and this is the first break-in we’ve had here.

“I have to say I’m surprised how daft and amateurish the burglars were. I think they were opportunists who simply didn’t check us out properly – the fact we’ve got their faces on CCTV would suggest they didn’t even know we had cameras.

“A lot of what was stolen was vintage but they left the clocks alone because they were too bulky. They were only on our premises for two or three minutes. When we turned up next morning it was quite a mess. We’ve been clearing it up ever since but it’s business as usual.

“Our brilliant staff have mucked in, and I’d like to thank the police for their help – as well as our neighbours and regular customers who have sent us emails and dropped by to wish us well. We’re confident these criminals will be caught.”

Det Con Steve Cook from the North Herts Local Crime Unit said: “I’m keen to trace the men pictured as they may have information which could assist with our investigation; if this is you, or you know who these men are then please contact me immediately.

“I’d also like to hear from anyone with information about this crime – no matter how insignificant it might seem – anyone who saw a jeep-type vehicle in the area around the time stated, or who has been offered a high-end watch for sale in suspicious circumstances.

Contact DC Cook via 101, quoting crime reference G1/14/2765.