A CLUB boss has insisted that criminals who broke into his newly-opened bar will only make the venue stronger.

Nathan Howard, manager at Sunbird Records, in The Circus, arrived at work yesterday to find that burglars had burst through a fire exit and stolen bottles of spirits and cash.

The incident, which occurred at around 2am yesterday at the eight-week-old venue, is one of over 70 burglaries which has occurred in the town since the beginning of June.

Mr Howard said the burglary had helped staff recognise where they need to beef up security.

The 23-year-old said: “It’s been a bit of a shock after only eight weeks of being open, but these guys are only going to make us stronger.

“They have only highlighted where we need to improve our security. We’re going to make it like Fort Knox after this.

“We will be polishing up, installing more cameras and making the fire exit door much more secure.

“We could’ve done without this while we are just starting up it’s clear that we need to create a better deterrent for these thieves and that’s what we will do.”

It is believed that two men gained access to the building and took 10 bottles of spirits along with £150 in cash, police said.

Darwen police said they have ‘waged war’ on burglars even taking to known hotspots to try to catch thieves in the act.

Other businesses hit recently were Curry Palace, in Railway Road, and Card Factory, in Market Street.

Anyone with information about the raid or who has information about who is responsible is urged to call police on 101.