A SMALL business has been rocked by a break in just weeks after they made the decision to set up shop in Swindon.

For a long time, The Woodburner Showroom was based on the High Street in Cricklade.

But at the start of April the team decided to take up a vacant unit at The Orbit Centre on Ashworth Road near to the Meads roundabout on Great Western Way.

The Cricklade location was inconvenient for larger deliveries and the building was listed meaning the staff couldn’t show off their woodburners in a live setting.

Swindon offered exciting new opportunities - but over the Easter bank holiday weekend, just a fortnight after their April 4 opening, ruthless thieves struck in the dead of night.

When showroom manager Naomi Youd arrived on the Tuesday she found the upstairs office was a wreck.

“First of all when I came through the door everything looked normal,” she said. “But then I went upstairs and there was paperwork everywhere, the till was open, cash missing, and the laptop was gone.

“I went down to the back door and saw they’d used a crowbar to break through two dead-bolt locks.

“One was dismantled and lying on the floor.”

The police were called and officers came out to dust for fingerprints. Oily footprints had been left by whoever gained entry, giving the police a potential clue.

While the laptop that was stolen did not have any huge financial value, it was important for the business.

It is described as a purple and black Hewlett Packard model - the Woodburner Showroom team have asked that anyone who sees it or may be offered it get in touch with them or with the police.

But for 25-year-old Naomi and her colleagues, the burglary has had more of an impact.

“The feeling that someone else has been in here isn’t nice,” she said.

“My desk was upstairs before but I sat downstairs for a few days after that. It does knock you back a bit.”

Wiltshire Police are continuing their investigation into the incident.

A spokesman for the force said: “We were called at 8.15am on April 18 to reports of a break in. Officers found that an untidy search of the property had been made and that cash and a laptop were taken.

“We are investigating and are appealing for witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in the area, near McDonald's, around 11.30pm on Sunday, April 16 – as this is when it’s believed the burglary happened.”

Anyone with information can call the force non emergency line on 101 or can leave information with Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.