May 24, 2005
Thieves smash their way into Boots the chemists in Burnham-On-Sea

Firefighters and police were called to Boots, the chemists, in Burnham late on Tuesday night (May 24) after a smash-and-grab burglary.

Thick smoke billowed out of the store at 15, The High Street after thieves smashed their way through a glass door at the front of the premises.

A vehicle was reportedly heard leaving the scene at high speed soon after the incident, which occurred at around 10:00pm.

Martin Pople, Incident Officer with Somerset Fire Service, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "Fortunately, the thick smoke coming out of the building was not the result of a fire. A smoke bomb was automatically activated by the store's alarm to deter the intruders."

A fan to clear the smoke from the store was brought across from Bridgwater so that fire crews could get inside and investigate.

Nine crew members from Burnham-On-Sea fire station attended the scene, along with police officers from Avon and Somerset Constabulary.

Anyone who has information about the incident should call police in Burnham-On-Sea on 0845 4567000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.