THIEVES who smashed through the window of a Carterton cycle shop with sledgehammers and stole £20,000 worth of bikes are sought by police.

A group of five or six people raided Mountain Mania Cycles, in Alvescot Road, at about 8.30pm last Wednesday, before making off with seven mountain bikes in a transit van.

Manager of the shop Dave Llewellyn was left stunned that such a crime had occurred in the town.

He said: “You wouldn’t have thought Carterton would be a magnet for crime of that level - certainly at that time of day.

“It’s an absolute nightmare. You assume at first that it’s a false alarm - not that somebody would break into a shop in the town centre like that.”

Investigating officer PC Adam Clark has urged any witnesses who have not spoken to police to get in touch on 101, as well as anybody who sees any of the bikes appear for sale online.