Windows smashed as raiders break into three shops

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Three shops on a Rochdale street were targeted by thieves who smashed their way into the properties by breaking windows.

The businesses on Oldham Road were raided in the early hours of Friday morning.

Owners were alerted by passing police patrols who saw the front windows had been broken.

A large pane of glass was shattered at Stephen J Holt Opticians, another was broken a few doors away at Fishers Cleaning Services, where raiders got in, leaving traces of blood, before searching the shop for cash.

It was a similar story at Tony's Fish and Chips, where the culprit broke a small pane climbing in and searching the back of the shop and leaving a mess.

Owner Anil Ozdemir said it's the 12th time his shop has been raided.

"It's such a regular occurrence, we've got used to it," he said. "They broke in at about 3.15am. We have CCTV, so hopefully the police will have a look at it and try to find out if they can identify anyone."

READ MORE:Seven Sisters tower block residents offered £7,000 to move out

Marie Broughton, the manager of Fishers, said that under normal circumstances the roll shutters on the shop would have prevented the break-in.

She explained: "On Thursday night, the fob which controls the shutters didn't work, so I had to leave them up. It's extremely bad luck that it's the one night when the raiders struck. Most of the shops on this stretch have roll shutters, and we know why."

Optician Mr Holt has run his business for 50 years but said persistent vandalism at his shop was 'not a problem'.

David Marcroft runs nearby Ace Electrical and Hardware Supplies Ltd. He said that although his shop has not been raided - he has roll shutters - someone came into his shop recently and stole his cordless phone while he was getting