Damage at the Salt Air Surf shop after a car smashed through the front this morning. Photo / Supplied
A Whakatāne store has been ram-raided overnight.
A post on the Salt Air Surf Facebook page said: "Not quite what we had on our Christmas list this year ... unfortunately we were ram raided last night".
The post said The Strand-based store would need a clean-up after a car smashed through the front door but the owners hoped to still be open today.
A store spokesperson told the Rotorua Daily Post the incident was "crap timing" so close to Christmas.
"But the whole community has been amazing and we have had a heap of support come through," they said.
A police media spokesman confirmed a report of a ram-raid at a store on The Strand was received at 4.06am.
A stolen silver saloon, taken from Edgecumbe, was used and there were four offenders, he said.
A scene examination is being conducted and inquiries are ongoing, including checking for CCTV.
The owner of the property is doing a stocktake to establish what was taken.
Police would like to hear from anyone who is offered any surf, skate or beach gear.
Please call 105 and quote job number P044860606.
They would also like to hear from any locals who might have seen or heard any suspicious activity on The Strand overnight.
Patrick Neho claimed he did it to feed his children. In reality, he fed his addictions.