AFTER almost identical break-ins happened just weeks apart a Horwich estate agent is offering a hefty reward for information.

Miller Metcalfe is offering a £1,000 for information leading to a conviction after their office in Lee Lane was trashed by masked men on two separate occasions.

Both times would-be thieves caused hundreds of pounds of damage but took nothing.

Nick Sharples, lettings property manager, said: "There's not a lot they can take we don't keep anything inside except petty cash for tea and coffee. There's nothing they can pick up and go with."

The first incident happened in the early morning of Saturday, July 21 and the second time was again in the early hours, this Saturday.

The firm has posted CCTV of the incident on social media and edited the footage into a humourous Western-style wanted video including the Benny Hill theme.

On both occasions burglars broke the glass front door of the office with house bricks and proceeded to ransack the offices.

During the second incident the perpetrators vandalised the office, breaking the panel off the alarm system and one man can be seen attacking the fire alarm with a brick.

The alarm panel was thrown across the room by one of the men and hit a TV screen says Mr Sharples, smashing that.

He said: "I got there about 8.30am and it had been boarded up by police. When I entered the glass was everywhere. The alarm had gone off and the panel had been taken off so I couldn't even knock the alarm off.

"They rooted through the drawers and where they were locked they ripped them open. They've just ripped the place apart.

"They smashed the glass door with house bricks, the time before was the same.

Mr Sharples estimated over the two incidents around £1,500 of damage has been caused. Including costs of new windows, boarding up, a new TV and alarms.

He said: "Coming into work it's almost like you have been robbed but we haven't. It's your work life and it's taken over a bit by it."

John Fletcher, a director of the estate agents, has put up £1,000 reward for information which leads to a conviction after the second break in.

Mr Fletcher said: "We think it's the same people both times but I don't know why they think we keep valuables in there ­— we don't deal in cash."

Mr Fletcher has asked that people with information call 07452918373.

n WATCH: Visit theboltonnews.co.uk to see footage of the break in