POLICE are on the hunt for some butter-fingered jewellery thieves who dropped much of their loot during their escape.

The brazen gang smashed their way into a jewellers’ store in broad daylight, before making off with what police described as “several thousand pounds’ worth” of goods.

As the getaway vehicle waited outside, one of the raiders took a slegehammer and smashed the front window in full view of shoppers, before grabbing the merchandise.

But he also managed to drop quite a bit as he fled said the store’s manager, describing to the Adver of the moment the thieves struck.

The afternoon raid targeted Deacon and Sons in the High Street of Wootton Bassett on Thursday.

Daniel Pike, branch manager, was in the store at the time, and acted fast to move the jewellery out of reach.

“I can’t say too much, but the attack happened on Thursday lunchtime when I was in the store and they took a hammer to the window,” he said.

“The first thing I did without thinking was to try and pull back the stock from the window to make it harder for them to get to.

“I didn’t see much because once the window smashed it was hard to see, but it was a black guy in a hat and orange gloves.

“They didn’t get away with a great deal and what they did get they dropped a lot of it over the floor as they got away.

“We have boarded up the window and business is open as usual.”

The theft happened at around 1.25pm on Thursday.

Police said two men got out of the vehicle.

One of them, a black man described as early 20s and between 5ft10in and 6ft in height and wearing a baseball cap, smashed the window and grabbed the goods.

The getaway car then left the High Street and headed towards the M4.

The silver Seat Leon was later found abandoned.

The man with the hammer and another male, described as white, of similar height and also in his early 20s, with short dark spiky hair and possibly wearing a dark jacket, were believed to have been dropped off somewhere in Wootton Bassett, before the driver ditched the car.

One man was arrested in Swindon shortly afterwards.

He has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

But detectives are seeking any information which would lead them to further arrests.

An exact value of the theft is not known, but a police spokesman said it was “several thousand pounds’ worth”.

Anyone with information is urged to contact CID in Melksham on 0845 408 7000, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.