A HIGH-END electronics store in Ramsbottom was broken into two nights running.

Burglars smashed their way into Bang & Olufsen, in Square Street, with a sledgehammer on Monday night and again on Tuesday night.

They stole headphones and speakers on Monday night and a television on Tuesday, a haul totalling thousands of pounds.

On both occasions the thieves fled in a silver car. Police said they cannot say, for definite, if the two raids are linked but are not ruling it out either.

Sam McCabe, store manager at Bang & Olufsen of Ramsbottom, said: “It has been quite horrible really, it’s not a very pleasant thing to have to go through.

“But the local community have been so helpful.

“They were all out here giving statements to the police and asking if we were okay.”

Nobody was in the shop at the time, but the alarm automatically alerted the directors and Miss McCabe at their homes.

The police are also automatically alerted to incidents and they arrived at the scene.

Police confirmed they were called to reports of a burglary at the store on Monday night at 11.30pm and again on Tuesday at 11pm.

The burglary on Monday is believed to have happened between 9.15pm and 11.30pm. Tuesday’s raid is believed to have happened between 10.40pm and 11pm.

On Tuesday the silver car fled in the direction of Carr Street.

In a statement, directors of the store Paul and Karön Braithwaite thanked the community for its response.

They said they decided to set up in the heart of Ramsbottom because they saw it as “an up-and-coming, happening place”.

The statement added: “Apart from our recent unfortunate set back we believe in the town and our decision to move here.

“The support of the local people and businesses has reaffirmed that.

“We would also like to thank the local community for all their moral support and helping with police enquiries.”

Anybody with any information about either incident should call police on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The incident number for Monday’s burglary is 2602 of July 10. For Tuesday’s it is 2337 of July 11.