A GANG of ram-raiders reversed a stolen car into the front of a golfing shop and stole thousands of pounds of equipment.Police are today hunting the gang who raided Stowmarket Golf Club's pro shop in Lower Road, Onehouse, just after 3am on Sunday.

A GANG of ram-raiders reversed a stolen car into the front of a golfing shop and stole thousands of pounds of equipment.

Police are today hunting the gang who raided Stowmarket Golf Club's pro shop in Lower Road, Onehouse, just after 3am on Sunday.

The raiders stole a blue Vauxhall Cavalier from outside a house in Stowmarket on Saturday night and drove it into the shop.

They then loaded another vehicle with £15,000 worth of golfing equipment.

It is the second time the shop has been attacked by criminals.

In 1997, thieves tried to break into the premises and set light to the building.

Police were alerted to the latest incident at 3.10am on Sunday when the burglar alarm sounded.

When they arrived they discovered a 10ft by 7ft hole in the window and part of the wall of the property where the car had been reversed, and shelves and equipment strewn across the floor.

Duncan Burl, who has run the shop for five years, estimated the cost of stolen equipment to be at least £11,000 and said the total figure could reach up to £15,000, including the damage to the shop.

"They knocked the shelf off with hats and gloves on and part of the building has collapsed," he said.

"It's not the first incident with the law. Someone has previously tried to break in and burn it down in 1997. I had been saying this was coming for a number of years because we are in a remote part of the town and if someone wants to come in this place they can get in and out without anyone seeing them.

"But you are never quite prepared when it happens. You make your own space and someone breaks your trust by coming in and undoing all the work you've done.

"It's not about the money it's about someone breaking the trust," he added.

Suffolk police said the raiders stole a Vauxhall Cavalier outside a house in Finborough Road, Stowmarket, between 10.30pm on Saturday and 3.10am on Sunday. They are believed to have had a second vehicle into which they loaded the stolen golf goods.

The damage to the building is estimated to be more than £400. Among brands stolen were Taylor Made, Callaway, Titleist, Cobra and Mizueno.

Anyone with information should call Det Con James Gidney on 01284 774100 or call Crimestoppers on freephone 0800 555111.