DIYWEEK.net

It was not a very merry Christmas for Notcutts Garden Centres after ram-raiders drove a stolen Mitsubishi pick-up truck into the sliding glass doors of the company's Cranleigh centre, causing £10,000 worth of damage.
The raid took place between 11pm on Sunday, December 23, and 12 - 1am on Christmas Eve. The extensive damage meant Notcutts suffered a loss in trade on Christmas Eve, traditionally one of its busiest days.

After grabbing the cash - an undisclosed sum - the offenders dumped the Mitsubishi in Notcutts' car park, making their escape in a second vehicle.

The Mitsubishi, a silver L200 pick-up with the registration M923 TDC, had been stolen from West Sussex just days before on December 17.

Police in Surrey are now appealing for anyone who saw the Mitsubishi from the time it was stolen to the burglary to come forward.

Investigating officer detective constable Jim Hilton said: "We know that the thieves used a second vehicle in the burglary as one was seen in the car park around the time of the offence, but we don't know what type of vehicle was used, so we would also welcome anyone with any information about that to come forward as soon as possible.

"The thieves have caused extensive damage to the front of the shop and meant that the garden centre suffered a loss in trade on Christmas Eve, one of its busiest times of the year. I would urge anyone with any information which could help us progress this investigation and find the offenders responsible to get in touch straightaway."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey Police on 101, quoting crime reference number WV/12/5729, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800555111.