THIEVES made off with around £36,000 worth of electric scooters during a raid on a warehouse.

Bosses at Southampton Car Supermarket splashed out £400 each on the popular gadgets to give away to customers buying vehicles. But about 90 models were stolen from their offices in Bursledon Road, Bitterne, on Sunday evening.

Police say are they were likely to have been taken away in a large van or lorry and are appealing for witnesses.

The company's marketing manager Andy Wateridge said: "We had spent a fair bit of money on them and now we've got very few left. We have been advertising the promotion in various publications.

"We first knew about it when one of our staff members was in first thing on Monday and noticed one of the doors to an office where the scooters were stored had been kicked in."

The machines were stolen between 6pm to 10pm on Sunday night from a building, which is behind the Jewsons yard.

The scooters, which are red, silver or black, were all in boxes. PC Dave Fuge said: "At this stage, we are yet to locate witnesses, but I think that it's fairly safe to assume the scooters would have been taken away in a large van or lorry.

"Therefore we are keen to hear from anyone who saw such a vehicle leaving the Jewsons yard onto Bursledon Road between 6pm and 10pm on Sunday night."

Anyone with information on the raid should telephone PC Dave Fuge at Bitterne Police Station on 0845 045 45 45, or the free, anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.