THE FAMILY of a Hampshire newsagent were left terrified when masked thieves raided their shop while they were asleep upstairs - stealing thousands of pounds worth of cigarettes.

Shocked Subramaniam Balarajh, his wife and their young daughter were woken in the middle of the night when the balaclava-wearing raiders smashed through the lock on the front door of Barton-on-the-Sea News.

The 33-year-old, who lives above the shop with his family, quickly ran to the window and started shouting, disturbing the thieves who quickly fled the scene.

But having been caught by surprise, one of the hooded robbers left behind his crowbar on the front counter - handing police a vital clue, which could prove key to solving the crime.

However, despite the raid being interrupted, Mr Balarajh, who has owned the shop for two-and-a-half-years, saw more than £4,500 worth of cigarettes and tobacco stolen.

CCTV footage shows the duo, who forced off the locks on the front door using crowbars, bursting into the shop, in Cliff Terrace, carrying a large black and white patterned shopping bag.

They quickly go behind the till and raise up the screen on the cigarette stand and the pair start throwing in as many packets as they can.

Once the alarm sounds and the owner starts shouting from the window above, they flee to their car, which is parked across the road along Marine Drive West.

At first Mr Balarajh was woken by a noise which he assumed was the paper delivery, but when the alarm started he leapt to his feet, ran to the window and started shouting, where he saw the pair run towards the red car and drive off in the direction of Christchurch.

All the commotion woke up his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter who has been left scared by the ordeal.

Mr Balarajh said: "I am upset, not only because I have lost valuable stock but also because it scared my wife and my young daughter.

"Now it is a worry every time I lock up in the evening and I am scared to go downstairs in the morning, not knowing what I might find.

"In the morning I had to turn a few customers away because I didn't have the stock, but I managed to get some on Monday because if you don't have the stock customers will not bother coming back.

"I would appeal to anyone who knows these people to get in touch with the police."

Both thieves were wearing light coloured tops and tracksuit bottoms, with their hoods up.

Officers would like to hear from anyone who thinks they may have witnessed the break-in, which happened shortly before 5am on Saturday, or saw anything suspicious in the area around the time of the burglary.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call PC Daniel Tuckey at Lyndhurst Police Station on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.