A businessman is calling for better protection for shops after burglars raided a store in Whalley.

The incident happened in King Street at around 7pm on Sunday, November 5.

In video footage, two people on a motorcycle can be seen targeting Whalley Newsagents after smashing through the front door.

Police said tobacco was stolen but no arrests have been made thus far.

Mohammed Desai, who runs the newsagents, said thousands of pounds of stock was stolen and there was major damage to the shop front and interior.

Dan Johnson, who runs Crafty Vintage which is based in Whalley and is a member of Whalley Chamber of Trade, has called for better protection for local businesses.

He said: “As a Whalley resident and owner of several retail businesses in the Ribble Valley, myself and many other shop owners are obviously worried about this incident and the disturbing methods used.

“I wanted to ask the question - what is the status of Ribble Valley Council’s CCTV system?”

Dan is also the founder of Whalley Artisan Market and will host the Christmas Markets due to take place from November 25 across the road from where the incident took place.

He has also asked if there will be added police presence in Whalley over the festive period to deter criminals.

Lancashire Telegraph:

Shopkeeper Mr Desai, who hails from Blackburn, said: “This is the first time this has happened and it has caused a lot of damage and inconvenience.

“It will take a while to fix this. It looks like they had some sort of hammer to break through.

“They targeted the tobacco and we are looking at over £4000 worth of stock and damage caused.”

Mr Desai, who took over the shop in 2017, said he had been inundated with messages of support.

He added: “The local community has been really good and we have had a lot of support from people who have popped in to see things are.

"We would like to thank everyone for their concerns.”

A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 7.01pm on Sunday, November 5, to King Street, Whalley, to a report of burglary at a newsagents.

“Officers attended and found that a quantity of tobacco had been stolen. Enquiries are ongoing. No arrests have been made.

“Anyone who witnessed the burglary or has information, please contact 101 – quoting log 1146 of November 5.”

A Ribble Valley Borough Council spokesperson said: “Ensuring the safety of both businesses and residents is of paramount importance.

"To assist with this, there has been several projects across Ribble Valley over the past six months to improve CCTV. This includes improvements to both cameras and the CCTV network.”

“In addition, Ribble Valley Borough Council are also utilising monies from our UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation to support the provision of an additional CCTV camera in Whalley.”