M & Arc Hair and Beauty A shattered white-framed glass door with silver handles. It has a broken glass panel inside it.M & Arc Hair and Beauty

Thieves smashed their way in to the Peterborough beauty salon through some patio doors

A beauty salon said it had been “hit big time”, after equipment and beauty products worth thousands of pounds were stolen in a burglary.

M & Arc Hair and Beauty on Fletton High Street, Peterborough, was broken into overnight between Monday and Tuesday.

Owner Mario Russo said a patio door was smashed by thieves before they took electrical appliances such as hairdryers, large quantities of shampoo, nail varnishes and three bottles of Prosecco from a staff fridge.

He said there was a significant “emotional” impact from the raid, with times “already tough for small businesses”. Police have appealed for witnesses to get in touch.

M & Arc Hair and Beauty Pieces of shattered glass on the floor in front of a white-framed door.M & Arc Hair and Beauty

Glass shattered across the premises following the raid

Russo said the break-in had caused “unnecessary stress” to staff, but added that nearby businesses had been “very supportive” and provided CCTV footage of the incident.

“We are hoping that insurance is going to cover us because we have been hit big time. We had just stocked up quite a bit over Christmas,” he said.

“Now the insurance premium will go up next year, so that makes it worse – because then you get penalised for it.

“This is not a great start to the new year – another massive dent in whatever profit we’re going to make, if we make any profit. Sometimes you’re working just to cover things. It is a very tough time for all of us.”

M & Arc Hair and Beauty An empty glass cabinet with only a few orange and white boxes of products left on the top and bottom shelves.M & Arc Hair and Beauty

The salon staff said treatment products were taken in large quantities during the break-in

The salon owner and his wife run two branches, including one in Bourne, Lincolnshire, and have been in business for about 30 years.

He said they had managed to keep the salons open and were working to restock the items at Fletton.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “The burglary is believed to have taken place between 18:00 on Monday and 07:45 GMT on Tuesday.

“An investigation has been raised and enquiries are ongoing, which include checking any available CCTV.”

Google The outside of M & Arc Hair and Beauty, with its sign in black letters above the door. It is an old detached property that has two bay windows on the ground floor and three small ones at the top. It is painted white and there is an advertising billboard on the driveway.Google

The business is based on Fletton High Street in Peterborough