Three bailed over ram raid at clothes store
THREE people have been released on bail after a ram raid at a designer clothes shop. Significant damage was caused to the Flannels store on Tulketh Street, in Southport, when a car was smashed through the shopfront on Friday night.
The offenders are believed to have used a black Ford Kuga, which had been reported stolen from Bowring Park Road in Liverpool earlier that day, to break into the shop at around 10.20pm.
They then fled with a haul of Canada Goose and Moncler coats, each of which can retail for hundreds of pounds. Some varieties of those brands are sold for more than £1,000.
Around an hour and a half later, a black Audi A3 car was seen by patrols on Ince Road in Thornton and stopped by police. During a search of the car, a number of Moncler coats with tags on and Flannels coat hangers were found and seized.
The occupants of the car were arrested and police subsequently said that two men aged 24 and 23 and a 20-year-old woman, all from the Liverpool area, were arrested on suspicion of burglary and handling stolen goods.
They were taken into custody to be interviewed and police said on Monday that all three had been released on conditional bail.
Detective Inspector Chris Smith said: “It is terrible to think that anyone could target a shop in this way, especially at such a challenging time for businesses.
“This ram raid has caused significant damage and huge inconvenience to a shop in our community, and we are keen to hear from anyone who saw the incident, or captured the vehicle in question on CCTV or dashcam in or around the area at 10.20pm last night.
“We are also keen to hear from anyone who may have seen people acting suspiciously around 2.20-3.30pm in the
Bowring Park Road area, when the black Ford Kuga we believe was used by the offenders was stolen.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Merseyside Police via social media or 101 with reference 21000094662. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously.