Renshaws Showcase Jewellers in Whakatāne was ram-raided on Monday morning. Photo / Supplied
A Whakatāne jewellery store owner is devastated after her business was ram raided this morning.
Renshaws Showcase Jewellers owner Hayley Cobb said she was alerted to the ram raid by a security company about 4.30am and went to The Strand store straight away.
She said the situation was "devastating".
"The car [they had] used was still on the footpath and the police were here - it was just glass everywhere.
"No jewellery was taken. We have fairly good security measures with a roller door etc so they hit it plenty of times but did actually manage to get entry and attempted to take something.
"But once they were inside I think they must have run out of time."
Cobb said she had CCTV footage and was working with police.
"You feel like a bit of a sitting duck - we've got bollards that [are] being manufactured at the moment. As soon as we get the new frontage in, we're going to install the bollards and hopefully that will be a bit more of a deterrent in the future."
A police spokeswoman said police were investigating the early-morning burglary on The Strand in which a vehicle was used to force entry into a retail premises.
The vehicle was left at the scene.
Inquiries, including a forensic examination, will be conducted to determine what had occurred, the spokeswoman said.
There have been no arrests at this time.
Meanwhile, police are making inquiries following a burglary at an Edgecumbe business on College Rd this morning.
The burglary was reported to police just after 5am.
Three high-end businesses fear works could shut their doors forever.