Internal wall broke down during burglary of The Walk Newsagents

Burglars broke into the rear of The Walk Newsagents in Rochdale town centre and forced their way through the storeroom door between 4pm on 16 May 2015 and 3am on 18 May 2015.

Once inside they searched the shop, but found nothing of value. However, rather than going home empty-handed they broke into Sawyers Bakery, which is next door.

To do so, they removed several bricks in the wall between the two properties, allowing them to climb into the bakery.

But once again the hapless thieves came away with nothing, and having searched fruitlessly they left the same way they had entered.

Detective Constable David Gill said: “This offender or offenders caused substantial damage to the buildings, going as far to break down a wall on the inside of the address in order to gain entry into the bakery.

“Fortunately they did not get away with anything, but that does not mean that we are not treating this seriously.

“If you were in the area over the weekend and think you may have seen someone acting suspiciously, do not hesitate to contact police.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.