A JEWELLER fears he may go out of business after raiders stole around £80,000 of gold from his town centre shop.
The raiders stole nearly 300 items of jewellery from Gold ‘n’ Time including distinctive pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings and Sekonda watches.
Jason Wilby, who runs the Queensgate Market shop, said: “We are on the verge of closing down. If I didn’t have my dad, who has 22 years experience in the business, we would go under.”
They got into the building through a skylight and pointed torches at CCTV security cameras to ensure images were unclear.
Several suspects are believed to have been involved and they spent around 11 minutes in the shop bagging the massive haul.
Speaking while still visibly shaken by the incident, Jason said: “They’ve practically taken us out of business.
“I would urge any witnesses to come forward or if they are offered any jewellery for sale on the street to get in touch with police.”
Jason and his dad have run the shop for the past six years.
The burglary is believed to have taken place between 5pm on Saturday April 9 and 9am on Monday April 11.
But Jason said he thought the raiders could have visited the premises before and sawed through pipes underneath the ceiling tiles to gain easy access.
“Last week there was some water dripping through the ceiling and we think now they could have sawed their way through. They returned to get at the gold quickly.” said Jason.
“It will cost us thousands in additional security measures, including a safe, new cameras and additional insurance.”
Enquiries are ongoing and police are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with any information to contact Det Con Craig Foulkes at Huddersfield CID on 01484 436556 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
