Gardaí are investigating a burglary at a business premises in Co Clare that has been targeted three times in the past 10 years.
Staff at Western Service Station on the Quin Road in Ennis arrived for work early today to find the premises had been entered and ransacked.
Gardaí cordoned off the garage’s large forecourt while they carried out a technical examination of the scene. Investigating officers are working with shop management to establish an exact timeline for the robbery and how the raiders travelled to and from the scene.
It’s believed however the robbery took place between 9.35pm yesterday and 6.35am today. It’s understood raiders gained access to the premises from the rear using heavy-duty cutting equipment which left the inside of the shop covered in concrete dust.
Gardaí have been canvassing local business premises in an effort to secure as much CCTV footage as possible in the hope of identifying the raiders. Officers have confirmed that a “quantity of property was taken during the incident, and some criminal damage was caused.”
A Garda spokesman confirmed they are asking anyone with information about the burglary or who may have seen something suspicious in the area overnight to come forward. Gardaí at Ennis can be contacted on 065 6848100 while anyone with information can also call the Garda confidential line on 1800 666111.
The same business was targeted in similar burglaries in March 2015 and May 2009. In both raids, thieves disabled the building’s security system by cutting telephone cables and got away with a substantial amount cigarettes and cash.