Two businesses on Oldham Road targeted by thieves

Rachel Wharmby’s Hair Salon and Lola Ashleigh florists on Oldham Road were both victims of an attempted break-in between 5.30pm on Wednesday 12 October and 8.00am on Thursday 13 October.

The offender attempted to force entry to the hair salon by removing the rear shutters, causing damage.

Entry was gained to the outbuilding of the florists, which was ransacked before the thief left empty-handed.

Owner of Lola Ashleigh, Emma King, said: “It's not at all nice to arrive in a morning to find that someone has caused such a lot of damage in an attempt to gain entry.

“We have viewed CCTV of the incident and are disturbed by the length of time the thief spent concentrating on trying to break into our properties.

“Of course we have stepped up our security, including the instillation of four extra cameras which records footage and streams directly to my phone.

“It's an inconvenience having to invest in such equipment, but I urge other businesses to do the same.”

A spokesman for GMP said: “Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 101 and quoting the reference number 578 of 13/10/16, or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”