Bold robbers close off road to steal trees worth £10,000 from South London garden centre.
Thieves, dressed as workmen closed off a street outside Terra Firma Garden Centre in Streatham Hill last month, so that they could steal 330 Christmas trees.

The Norweigan Spruces, worth more than £10,000 were taken from the site in Knollys Road in a night raid after the crooks took signs from nearby roadworks and placed them just yards from the garden centre. The diversion was set up to ensure drivers wouldn't come down the road and see the robbery taking place.

Police are investigating the incident and it is understood that similar raids were carried out in Dorset and Surrey just days earlier.

Meanwhile, a batch of 60 Christmas trees worth around £2,400 was taken from a B&Q store in Sutton, Surrey on November 26. The trees, which had been left stacked outside the entrance to the branch in Sutton Court Road, were taken away by thieves in a van in what police described as an opportune theft.

Also in Surrey, four Christmas trees were stolen from outside Flitton's Nursery in Woodmansterne Road, Wallington. The thieves are believed to have struck between 8.30pm on Sunday, December 6 and 5.30am on Monday, December 7.

Crime prevention teams are urging businesses and residents to be vigilant over the Christmas holiday.