Three men who attempted to break into Monkton Elm Garden and Pet Centre on Sunday night are now on the run from police after they escaped from the scene empty-handed.
The would-be thieves cut a hole in the roof of the Somerset-based garden centre, but after the burglar alarm went off they were soon surrounded by security, police and garden centre staff.

Despite the police helicopter, seven police vehicles, a dog handler and members of Walford Security all arriving within minutes, no one was apprehended following the attempted burglary.

Monkton Elm's general manager Norma Moore said: "The alarm went off at around 11.15pm, then Walford Security arrived and I was on-site within five minutes, but the police were here just after me ... The men who had broken in scarpered immediately and luckily they didn't manage to take anything or do any damage inside the building."

Ms Moore said she estimated the damage caused by the hole in the roof will cost the business several hundreds of pounds to repair.

She added: "We've made it watertight for the moment and are hoping it doesn't rain before we're able to repair it completely."

Anyone who has any information about the break-in is asked to contact their local police on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.