A £30,000 haul of precious jewels and expensive watches was stolen from a Wrexham jewellers in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Burglars forced their way through the rear entrance of Ernest Jones Jewellers in Hope Street at around 12.30am and seized many items including diamonds and a quantity of designer watches made by Tissot, Accurist, Rotary, Seiko, Kenneth Cole, DKNY, Armani and Hugo Boss.

The break-in triggered the automatic burglar alarm but when the police arrived, the thieves had already escaped.

A police spokesperson said: 'The street in the vicinity of the shop would have been busy with people in the time leading up to midnight and we are anxious to speak to anyone who may have seen any persons acting suspiciously in Hope Street, or anyone who may have seen suspicious vehicles in either Hope Street or at the rear of the store in Abbott Street.'

The offenders may have based themselves in Hill Street car park and climbed walls to reach the premises.

The number of people involved is still not known and there is no evidence to suggest the thieves were armed.

Police are urging anyone who may be offered expensive jewellery or watches at cheap prices to contact Wrexham CID on (01978) 294527 or the Eastern Control Room on (01978) 290222.