'Antiques shop break-in has had a huge impact'

The owner of an antiques shop broken into last weekend says the crime has had a "huge impact" on the business.

High-value items were stolen from Lock House Antiques at Whilton Locks Garden Village near Daventry on 3 January after the door was smashed at about 22:00 GMT.

The damage has left the business facing repair costs of about £500 to board up the door and fix smashed cabinets.

Beth Walton, the owner of the business, said: "[The break-in has had] a huge impact. The clean-up process has put us back a couple of days behind trading because we couldn't open."

The shop has been trading for almost three years and has a sister site in Badby, Northamptonshire.

After being alerted to the break-in, the owners spent the night at the site in temperatures of about -5C (23F) because the damaged door could not be secured until the morning.

Since the incident, staff say they are being more vigilant and are "watching everyone" to spot any signs of people looking for valuables.

Walton added: "They knew what they were doing. They'd obviously been in, scouted around and knew exactly where to go because they were in and out within a couple of minutes."

Northamptonshire Police said two men dressed in black smashed the shop's door and a cabinet before fleeing.

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