COSTA Coffee has released CCTV footage of raiders smashing into their Bourne End cafe with a sledgehammer.

A camera inside the building shows the balaclava-clad offenders took about 20 seconds to smash through the glass front door, after which they went straight for the safe and stole some cash.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident on The Parade, which happened at 5.38am on Monday, January 7.

The franchise owners, whose Flackwell Heath cafe was also broken into three days later, say the raids have caused thousands of pounds worth of damage. They said money is not normally kept on the premises overnight.

The Bourne End cafe has now been raided five times since opening three years ago, prompting calls for CCTV cameras to be installed along the main street through the village (see related links).