Burglars dig tunnel into Wilmslow Rolex store but fail to take anything after setting off alarm

The failed raid targeted Preston's, a heavily branded official Rolex watches retailer. Credit: Google Earth

A gang who dug a tunnel from a cafe into a jewellers in an attempt to steal watches were left empty handed - after they hit the shop's door and set off the alarm.

It is thought the group broke into cafe in Wilmslow before attempting to dig their way into next door Preston's, which is heavily branded as an official Rolex watches retailer.

But the would-be burglars were unable to penetrate doors in the jewellers, instead setting off alarms and fleeing.

The incident happened on Wednesday 27 April at around 11.35pm.

In a statement, Cheshire Constabulary said: "Detectives are appealing for witnesses and video footage following a burglary at a jeweller’s in Wilmslow.

"At around 11.35pm on Wednesday 27 April police were called to reports of an alarm activation at the Rolex store on Water Lane."Officers attended and on arrival they found that unknown offenders had entered the jewellers via a tunnel from a nearby café.

"They are believed to have fled the scene empty handed."

Police are now keen for any information to help with the investigation.Detective Sergeant Robert McCubbin said: “This investigation is in its early stages, and we are committed to doing all we can to identify the people responsible.“The jewellers are located in a busy part of Wilmslow town centre and as part of our investigation we’re keen to hear from anyone who was in the area between 10.30pm and 11.30pm and believes they may have seen anything suspicious.“The same goes for anyone with any CCTV or dashcam footage which may aid our investigation.”


Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...