A CLEAN up operation was underway today after ram-raiders hit a Stowmarket sports shop.The thieves, believed to have been driving a light coloured or silver Ford Granada, crashed through the front doors of Sportskits in Wilkes Way at the Meadow Centre at about 8.

By Tracey Sparling

A CLEAN up operation was underway today after ram-raiders hit a Stowmarket sports shop.

The thieves, believed to have been driving a light coloured or silver Ford Granada, crashed through the front doors of Sportskits in Wilkes Way at the Meadow Centre at about 8.30pm last night.

The owner of the shop John Lintin received a call from the police after automatic security alarms alerted officers in the force control room at Martlesham.

He arrived at 9pm to find a scene of devastation. The car had apparently backed into the front doors, and although the glass shattered it stayed in the doorframe, which had buckled and fallen to the ground inside the shop.

Mr Lintin said: "It looked like they removed a security bollard – designed to prevent ram-raids – by unlocking in from the ground, going to fetch the car, then lifting out the bollard and backing the car into the front doors.

"The whole door frames was knocked to the ground, so we had to repair that as best we could last night to keep the property secure."

He said the crime happened just two months before CCTV is due to be installed at the site, and 18 months after another ram-raid attack at the shop.

He added: "We are still adding up how much clothing they got away with – but it's going to add up to thousands of pounds worth, they took a lot of Ellesse clothing, all our Ipswich Town football shirts – a whole rail full of them and lots of thick winter jackets and tracksuits.

"It looks like they simply loaded them into the back of the car and drove off."

A police spokesman said today: "We believe that the thieves may have used a light coloured or silver hatchback Ford Granada, which will now have severe rear end damage, because it appears the car was backed into the shop."