IPSWICH: A number of town centre shops were today at the centre of police investigation after a cluster of burglaries in the past week.

Household names such as Costa and Holland & Barrett were among seven stores to have been raided. Independent outlets were also targeted.

All are being linked by police, but no details are yet known about the suspect or suspects.

Snappy Snaps camera shop in Thoroughfare is believed to have lost �800 when thieves made off with the till last Friday.

M W Ashton tobacconist are 50 boxes of cigarettes down after raiders smashed their way into the Lloyds Avenue building in the early hours of yesterday morning.

And owners of the recently opened Bernie Lee’s coffee shop in Queen Street turned up yesterday morning to find the back door smashed in with a block of concrete.

An iPod touch, printer, CD player and a Toshiba laptop were taken. A safe had also been prised open.

Stunned co-owner Donovan Edwards said: “The breeze block was lying on the floor inside. They took a laptop, CD player and an MP3 player from behind the counter.

“The safe belonged to previous tenants so I don’t know if anything was taken. I am gutted. But it could have been a lot worse. They could have torn the place to pieces.”

The 27-year-old said it was lucky that he had taken the till home the previous night.

Meanwhile, Jayne Kennedy, owner of Snappy Snaps, said staff were shocked to discover the break-in at their store.

“The door was smashed in. They took the till and left,” she said. “We were absolutely shocked. It is a pain the neck having to sort out all the paperwork.”

Maria Krolik, manager of M W Ashton, was called in the middle of the night after her store was raided.

Speaking yesterday afternoon, she said: “I got down there about 2.30am and I have been here ever since. I hear there is a spate of burglaries. The town seems to be deteriorating.”

A spokesman for Suffolk police said officers were linking the crimes.

Anyone with information about any of these crimes is urged to call Pc Matthew Jay at the Central Ipswich Safer Neighbourhood Team on 01473 613500 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

n Have you been burgled? Were you a victim of this spate? Tell us your story. Telephone the Evening Star news desk on 01473 324788 or e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk