SEVEN shops in the centre of Highworth were broken into in a systematic series of burglaries overnight on Wednesday, including a charity shop.

Between 4am and 10am on Thursday morning, police received separate reports from a number of takeaways and other businesses in and around the High Street as staff returned to work to find searches had been made and cash stolen.

A hairdressers, the Sue Ryder charity shop, a dry cleaners, and a variety of eateries had entry forced overnight and petty cash or stock stolen.

Tracey Williams, from Headlines Hair and Beauty, said the salon had had to close the next day but is now open again.

“Most of the businesses broken into were on the High Street,” she said.

“Quite a lot of takeaways were done, and we think seven in total were burgled, including the Sue Ryder charity shop.

“We had a few products stolen.”

Sue Dodd, from Sue Ryder, said the thieves may have targeted the shopping precinct as the fair is in town.

“They broke in through one of our bottom windows,” said Sue, adding that funds that were set to go to charity would now be used to repair the damage.

“They had pushed the plastic panel in on the bottom of the door, pressed it right through and got in that way.

“They obviously could not find anything.

“They went out the way they came in and put a wheelie bin in front of the door so nobody could see the damage.

“We got burgled last month as well but we don’t think it was the same people.

“They may think people are doing quite well because we have got the fair set up outside the shops at the moment.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “The first report we received was at 4.33am from the Kebria Tandoori.

The front door had been forced open but there did not appear to have been much of a search conducted.

Petty cash had been stolen from a tin on the counter.

“The second report was at 8.27am from the hair and beauty shop Headlines.

“A full search of the building had been carried out and petty cash was stolen.

“At 9.30am we had a report of the Sue Ryder charity shop being broken into. It was believed money and some costume jewellery had been taken.

“Many of the reports came through when staff opened their shops in the morning.

“Petty cash and a laptop was stolen from the dry cleaners, a jar of coins and some soft drinks were taken from Smart’s takeaway, and a bottle of alcohol taken from Ciao Eatalia.”