FOUR men have been arrested following an early-hours raid at a Darlington convenience store, in which £16,000 worth of tobacco was stolen.

Intruders broke in to the Lifestyle Express store, on the corner of North Lodge Terrace and Gladstone Street, between 3am and 3.20am on Saturday (May 25) morning.

Two Iranian men have been charged with burglary and appeared before South Durham Magistrates.

The pair, aged 24 and 20, were remanded in custody. Two other men have been released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Among the stock stolen were branded cigarettes and alcohol, as well as a quantity of cash from the till.

Some of it has been recovered, but the majority is still outstanding.

PC Alistair Rogowski, of Durham Police’s serious priority crime and justice department, based in Darlington, is investigating the break-in.

He said: “The intruders accessed the premises from the rear alley between the houses on North Lodge Terrace and Thornton Street.

“They removed roof tiles from the extension at the rear of the premises, and forced a hole through the roof to gain entry to the stock area.

“While inside they removed around £16,000 worth of tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars and loose tobacco.

“They also removed £1,200 worth of various bottles of spirits and cash from the tills before loading the items into green plastic customer baskets and leaving the premises.”

PC Rogowski said one basket has already been recovered, but it contained only a small amount of stock.

The bulk of the property has not yet been traced.

The shop remains open for business. No one from the business was available for comment on Tuesday (May 28).

Officers have been able to access footage from the store’s CCTV system as part of the investigation.

Police are asking anyone with information about the burglary, or anyone who is offered cheap tobacco or spirits for sale, to get in touch.

Call PC Rogowski on the non-emergency number, 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800-555-111.