POLICE are hunting four men who smashed their way into a town centre jewellery shop and stole thousands of pounds worth of goods.

The gang arrived at the Crompton Place Shopping Centre on motorbikes at 1.30am this morning, Wednesday April 27, before forcing their way inside using what police have described as an "unknown instrument".

The thugs then made their way to the Beaverbrooks jewellers store and smashed the front windows.

They grabbed a haul of jewellery amounting to several thousand pounds before escaping on the motorbikes. Centre bosses were alerted to the incident after alarms were set off but arrived after the gang had fled.

The store has remained closed throughout the day as security staff watched over the site.

Police officers are analysing CCTV footage of the incident in a bid to track down the offenders.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police appealed for anyone with information to come forward. He said: “We were called to Crompton Place Shopping Centre at 1.30am after reports of a break-in. A large value of jewellery was stolen from the Beaverbrooks store and our investigations into the incident are ongoing. We would urge any members of the public with information to contact us on 101.”

Crompton Place centre manager Paula Wood reassured shoppers that the centre is open for business despite the incident.

She said: “We can confirm that the police were called to a break-in at Crompton Place in the early hours of the morning of April 27. Their investigation into the incident is currently ongoing and I’d like to reassure shoppers that Crompton Place is open for business as normal.” 

The break-in is the latest in a spate of incidents in Bolton town centre.

In a ten-day period around the Easter weekend, there were 15 burglaries affecting shops and firms including several close to Crompton Place.

Among the affected businesses was another jewellers, The Courtyard in St Andrew’s Court.

But yesterday’s smash and grab raid has more in common with dramatic scenes in the town centre last summer, when a gang of axe-wielding thugs targeted H&T Pawnbrokers in Newport Street before escaping on motorbikes.