THIEVES ram-raided a garden machinery shop on Monday night stealing high value chainsaws and hedge trimmers.

Ashington Garden Machinery, based at Queen Anne Drive in Merley, was targeted for high-tech handheld tools - each valued between £200-£800 - after four men broke through the gates of Oaks garden centre and reversed into the unit.

Business owner Chad Hayes said it is one of several incidents he’s heard of in recent months adding that he believes “Wimborne is rife” with break-ins.

“It’s been going on for weeks,” he said. “Loads of my customers have been targeted. It’s an epidemic. Every day we’re having customers call and say we’re getting broken into and it’s getting worse and worse. They’re nicking them out of our customers’ vans.”

Mr Hayes said his other business - Longham Garden Machinery at Ringwood Road - was targeted in a similar way last year.

“Longham got done before Christmas when they smashed the roof off,” he added. “This time they ran in, grabbed what they could and got out. They were in and out in two minutes.

“We just want people aware of what’s happening. They’re after anything small, handheld, that can be picked up easily.”

Mr Hayes believes between 15-20 items were stolen in the two-minute raid on Monday. He said footage shows at least four men and two cars. One car was used to ram the metal security doors while the other waited close by.

He said: “Police were here straight away. Someone was on site last night and they heard the gates get cut. It took two smashes to get through the doors. They had obviously sussed the place out because they brought bolt cutters.”

An eyewitness, who asked not to be named, told the Daily Echo he and his girlfriend heard an alarm go off and then saw two cars speeding off from the incident, which happened at 10.07pm, heading towards Gravel Hill.

He said: “We noticed the lock had been cut at the main gate and a shutter door to the lawn mower shop had been smashed down and part of the wall next to it had been damaged. All of a sudden they sped back out of the garden centre and they headed towards Queen Anne Drive junction. Shortly after the police arrived.”

A police spokesman said: “It was reported that one vehicle had driven into the side of a building, while another vehicle was loaded up with a quantity of goods, before being driven off.”