A BURGLAR who installed a camera to monitor a chip and pin machine at a petrol station slipped up when he forgot to retrieve the footage.

Owners of the BP Garage, in Norton Road, Stockton, discovered the recording device, containing a month’s worth of footage of customers using the payment machine, after a break-in at the premises.

The incident happened between 11.30pm on Saturday and Sunday morning.

The burglar made off with cigarettes and money, but failed to take a CCTV hard drive that did not belong to the garage. A police spokeswoman said: “It contained one month’s recorded footage from the pin machine, and the machine itself had been fitted with a device recording card details.

“The footage had been recorded from a camera concealed on the premises, and it is believed the burglar had broken in to retrieve both the device containing the card details and the camera recording the pin numbers with a view to cloning the debit and credit cards.”

The owners only recently took over the business, and police say the device had been in place before they started and was recording without them knowing.

Officers say that because the device was left behind, they do not believe customers pin numbers have been copied.

However, those who used the store between March 25 and April 25 have been advised to cancel their card.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to call police on 01642- 302226 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.