THIEVES stole more than £400 worth of stock from a hardware store after breaking into the back yard.

The intruders got away with several fence panels and 400 garden canes from Dovercourt DIY in Kingsway.

Co-owner Matthew Stace found the damage when he arrived at work last Tuesday morning.

“We have been running the shop for 18 months and this is the third attempt to break in,” he said.

“Now we have been forced to take preventative measures.

“It is ridiculous but what can we do? The decision to turn the streetlights off at midnight and the low levels of policing in the town are not helping local businesses.”