The owner of a designer boutique has revealed her horror and disbelief as she watched a group of brazen thieves steal £250,000 worth of luxury handbags from her shop.
Christine Colbert, 58, could only watch on helplessly as live CCTV footage showed three intruders ransacking Dress Cheshire in Prestbury, Cheshire, on Sunday night.
It is the second time she has been victim to a robbery in just over a year after thieves broke in through a window and stole bags worth £180,000 – prompting her to beef up security.
Bags valued at as much as £30,000 were snatched on Sunday night, in the latest audacious raid targeting high-end goods in the area.
Three intruders circumvented Dress Cheshire’s sophisticated security set-up by identifying the 3ft wide chimney stack as a weakness.
Having smashed their way through, one used a duvet cover as a giant pouch to steal the highly sought-after pre-owned bags from brands including Chanel, Gucci, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.
Mrs Colbert told the Mail that she had been asleep when her security monitoring company gave her the dreaded call.
‘I immediately switched on the CCTV on my phone and I could see a man crouching down and bricks all over the floor,’ she said.
‘I said to my husband Gary: “We’re being robbed!” I was panicking.’
Police were on the scene within minutes, but the gang had already made their getaway.
A Hermes ‘Crocodile Kelly’ – priced at nearly £24,000 – was stolen along with the ‘Holy Grail’ of luxury handbags The Hermes Birkin – in various sizes.
Watching the footage back she could hear the noise of drilling for over an hour before the raiders broke through.
‘They were big burly men, and they were all in black with goggles, balaclavas, and gloves,’ Ms Colbert continued.
‘They took three or four minutes to whirl round the shop and grab all the bags. One man had a duvet tied round his neck like a pouch which he threw the bags in.
‘Another man put everything up his arms – they were full of bags. Then they hurled the handbags through the hole they’d made – two or three at a time.
‘The respect for the bags was zero.’
In total the gang took 55 handbags – dropping just two which were among the least valuable.
The neighbouring building was empty following an arson attack – neighbours had seen ‘workmen’ coming and going and assumed it was being renovated.
However it is now believed the gang were plotting their attack, boarding up the windows and entering the shop via a fireplace.
Mrs Colbert is now faced with a decision on whether to continue displaying the luxury goods in her store, which attracts collectors from around the country.
‘This has been very well thought through – it’s very frightening for me,’ she said.
‘I have to showcase my products – advertise them. I despair. Part of me thinks should I carry on – but why should I let criminals determine my business model?
‘I can’t believe the lengths they have gone to. It used to be watches people wanted – now it’s handbags and they are worth more second-hand than they are new.
‘I doubt I’ll see the stolen bags again – they will now go on the black market.’
Officers from Cheshire Police arrived at the store ‘within minutes’ and are now appealing for information.
Detective Constable Clare Slattery said: ‘Our enquiries are ongoing, and we would urge anyone who witnessed this incident or saw anything suspicious to get in touch with us.’
Along with Wilmslow and Alderley Edge, Prestbury makes up the so-called Golden Triangle of towns favoured by Cheshire celebrities and sports stars.
Ex-Manchester United star Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen used to live there until they moved to a £20million home they designed nearby.
However the area has been frequently targeted by burglars including a gang who snatched more than 100 rare handbags worth over £1million when they raided a home in Alderley Edge in March.
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