RAIDERS ransacked a hairdressers stealing thousands of pounds worth of equipment, products and cash.

The thieves smashed through glass in the door of Berechurch Barbers on William Harris Way, Colchester, using a large rock and made off with the goods which included the till.

Among the items taken were GHD straighteners, a state-of-the art Dyson hairdryer worth £300, a Dyson hair conditioning unit and Redken hair products.

Clippers, scissors and £100 in float money were also stolen.

Katie Sutton, 29, has owned the business for seven years,and said she was devastated she had been targeted by crooks.

She said: “They have basically grabbed whatever they could get their hands on and taken it out of the shop.

“The first I knew about it was on Sunday morning when I received a message on Facebook from a lady I didn’t know who had been walking her dog and seen all the damage.

“By the time I got there a few other people had called the police.

“They have already been round and taken fingerprints to see if they can find anything.”

The store does not have any CCTV but cameras are in place on neighbouring shops .

Ms Sutton said she is hoping they will help provide police with information to try to catch up with the thieves.

She added: “I am hoping it will show up a car nearby because they would have needed a vehicle to get so close and carry how many items they had.”

Ms Sutton said she had never had any previous break-ins or crime while she has been running the salon and was in the process of seeing which of the stolen items could be claimed on her insurance policy.

She said: “I have been running the salon for seven years and have never had any trouble like this before.

“We are back open now, though. We have managed to find some old equipment and some things which I have at home to make sure people can still get appointments and we can start trying to earn money again.”

Ms Sutton said the raid on Saturday night was poorly timed with the festive season coming up.

She said: “It probably could not have come at a worse time of year with Christmas just around the corner.

“I have two young children and it will probably spoil Christmas a bit.”

Essex Police confirmed they were investigating the incident.

A spokesman said: “Someone gained entry by smashing glass in a door.

“A messy search was conducted and a till was taken.”

Anyone with information can call Colchester police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.