THE owner of an Upton newsagents raided by masked men believes the burglars may be local drug addicts.

As previously reported, masked burglars battered their way into an Upton newsagents using drain covers and stole £8,000 worth of cigarettes which they loaded into black bins brought for that purpose. The raid was captured on CCTV.

The two men, wearing hats, hoodies, scarves and gloves, took just three minutes to clear the shop at 10 High Street, Upton, of hundreds of cigarettes during the raid at 2.15am on Monday morning.

Juliet Hill, 48, who owns the newsagents said: "It's a sign of the times. I believe it's drug addicts that have got to feed a habit.

"Rewind 12 months and there wasn't any problems. It's getting worse. All the cars in the car park are getting trashed every five minutes. The Co-Op has been done over three times.

"Are they local or are they outsiders coming in? My gut feeling is they're local. I don't know why, I just think they are.

"It has affected one of my daughters more than the other. She doesn't want to come in now in the early morning and she doesn't want me coming in on my own any more."

West Mercia Police has confirmed that the culprits used the cast iron drain covers stolen from William Tennant Way in the town to smash their way through the safety glass in the door and get inside the shop.

They left in a dark coloured vehicle which Mrs Hill described as an Audi parked near the Spar shop and fitted with false plates.

Mrs Hill, who has worked at the shop for 10 years and owned it for eight, said this was the first time this had happened since she had been there.

She said: "I don't know how I feel. I suppose I feel upset. You have just got to get on with things."

She said the police forensics team had examined the scene for clues. Customers have expressed their regret at what happened.

The family were alerted about the burglary from a woman based at the Anchor pub across the road and Mrs Hill was at the scene at around 2.30am, around 10 minutes after police arrived.

In March we reported how burglars stole cigarettes from the same shop three times that month.

Police stepped up patrols around the Co-op, in Old Street, Upton after the raids and gave out crime prevention advice.

Malvern officers linked the raid on March 27 with the other burglaries at the store on Sunday, March 4, and Saturday, March 24.

As yet, they are not linking them to the raid at the newsagents.

DI Dave Knight said: "Cigarettes are an extremely valuable commodity and relatively easy pickings for someone who is willing to commit crime.

"If any shop worker or owner is concerned about their security they can contact the police and they will be given crime prevention advice." He said burglars had gained entry through a weak wooden door at the Co-op and staff had been advised to reinforce the doors. The supermarket has not been broken into since.

Those with information about the raid at the newsagents can contact West Mercia Police on 101, quoting incident reference 60s200818.