Last updated at 12:13, Tuesday, 04 December 2012

A SHOP owner has been left “gutted” after thieves broke in to his Barrow store and stole stock just weeks before Christmas.

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Siraz Patel, who runs Icon Menswear in Dalton Road, said the break-in came at the worst possible time of year for a retail outlet.

The thieves are believed to have broken in through the shop’s back door between 2am and 4am yesterday.

A large quantity of expensive clothes, including items from leading brands Fred Perry and Henri Lloyd, were removed from the shop.

Mr Patel has not yet tallied-up the full value of the stolen stock, but said the burglary was a devastating blow in the lead up to what he had hoped would have been a profitable festive period.

“I’ve had a really tough year, to be honest,” he said. “We’ve done really well in Barrow over the years, but since the recession has hit, it has been quite tricky.

“We’d just built up our stock for Christmas and at this time of year it’s pretty much going to be impossible to get it replaced.

“You can pick up some stock – the things that aren’t selling that well elsewhere – but not the top brands like those that were taken.”

The 44-year-old said it was “quite possible” the burglary was linked to an attempted break-in at the store just last week.

Barrow CID is investigating the incident and forensic officers attended the shop yesterday to search for fingerprints and other evidence.

Mr Patel, who has run the Barrow store for 12 years, as well as another Icon Menswear in Kendal, admitted the burglary had left him disillusioned.

“It has been a great town, but it just makes you wonder if you can be bothered with the hassle anymore,” he said.

Anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in the area yesterday morning, or knows of brand name clothes being offered at cheap prices, is asked to contact Barrow CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

First published at 16:27, Monday, 03 December 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk