THIS IS the moment three masked raiders caused £4,000 of damage to a Hampshire business before stealing a safe containing just £60.

Bosses at Totton-based Ciggy Juice, which supplies liquids for e-cigarettes, have hit out at the "mindless destruction" caused during the violent rampage which wrecked the sales area.

Now director David McClure has released CCTV footage of the incident in the hope it will lead to be culprits being caught.

It shows the trio casing the premises – and then almost jumping for joy after peering through the window and spotting a small safe beneath the till.

After returning with a crowbar they force the door and smash a sensor – even though the alarm has already gone off. One of the gang even rips a keypad off the wall.

Mr McClure said: "They stole a £150 safe containing £60 in change but caused £4,000 of damage to the door and the alarm system.

"Having caused a huge amount of damage getting in they promptly proceeded to smash the alarm system, it was a totally mindless and unnecessary act – absolutely crazy."

Ciggy Juice, on the Calmore Industrial Estate, was targeted on the evening of Sunday, March 12.

The CCTV footage shows one of the raiders glancing upwards and then hastily turning his face away after spotting the camera.

Mr McClure said: "When they first arrived they weren't tooled up for burglary.

"They were probably thinking of trying to steal the catalytic converter on a van parked outside but looked through the window and saw the little safe under the til.

"The footage shows a lot of celebratory fist-bumping – they must have thought all their birthdays and Christmases had come at once.

"They went away to think about things before returning with a crowbar and forcing the door. Once inside they ripped a sensor off the wall, even though the alarm was already ringing."

Ciggy Juice is one of several Totton businesses that have been targeted in the past few weeks.

As reported in the Daily Echo, traders are threatening to take the law into their own hands, saying "vigilante justice" could be the answer if police cannot protect their premises.

A sweet shop was raided by a man who demanded money from the till and masked robbers stole cash from Dominos Pizza after threatening staff.

Other victims of the crimewave include Kaiya Afro Hair Specialist, which lost £3,000 worth of hair extensions.