06/05/2010 - Jewellery stolen in city mall raid
Thieves have stolen goods worth tens of thousands of pounds from jewellers at Europe's largest urban shopping centre.
A gang of up to 10 people broke into the Westfield centre in Shepherd's Bush, west London, with sledgehammers during the early morning raid.
Items were stolen from luxury jewellers De Beers and Tiffany & Co.
Security guards and police were alerted by electronic alarms, but the gang escaped in several cars at about about 1.20am on Thursday.
It is the first such robbery of its kind at the mall, which opened in 2008 and houses more than 250 shops, and follows a series of smash-and-grab raids on jewellers and high-end stores across the capital.
Gangs of thieves, often riding stolen mopeds and armed with heavy tools, have plagued police and retailers, with goods worth more than £4 million taken as thieves targeted Watches of Switzerland, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana and Tiffany and Co.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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