CROOKS smashed a shop window to steal perfume... before three more took advantage and stole more stock just hours later.

The Perfume Shop on Southend High Street was hit by four burglaries in the space of two hours in the early hours of yesterday morning.

A pair of yobs damaged the window at the front of the store at around 3.30am, before stealing a “small amount of stock.”

Across the next two hours, three other crooks used the smashed window to steal more perfume.

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Forensic teams were seen at the shop for several hours, with a small cordon in place.

Martin Terry, councillor in charge of community safety, said: “This is the last thing a shop needs, especially coming out of the pandemic “I’m surprised there wasn’t a burglar alarm in place which would have alerted the shop owners as to what was going on.

“People are going bonkers at the moment.”

The Echo understands roughly £100 of perfume was stolen.

David Garston, shadow councillor in charge of community safety, added: “It’s really not good at all. I really feel for the shop.

“Unfortunately incidents like this put people off shopping there.”

The shop remains open and is “welcoming customers”, bosses confirmed.

A spokesman from Essex Police, said: “We were called to reports of a window being damaged in The Perfume Shop, in Southend High Street, at 5.30am on Wednesday.

“Through our early enquiries we believe the window was damaged by two people at about 3.30am. They then stole a small amount of stock from the shop.

“We also believe three additional burglaries were then committed at the shop between 3.30am and 5.30am.

“No arrests have been made and our enquiries are ongoing.

“Anyone who witnessed any of the incidents or has information on them should submit a report online at https://www.essex.police.uk or use the ‘Live Chat’ button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

“You can also call us on 101 and cite incident 159 of June 16.”