Hertfordshire Police are investigating after burglars smashed their way into a Post Office and stole £1,000 of tobacco.

The Carpenders Park branch in The Parade was broken into at around 3.05am today, June 19, by two suspects wearing hoods, gloves and face coverings.

They stole around £1,000 worth of cigarettes, vapes, and tobacco before fleeing on a motorbike towards Delta Gain.

Postmaster Prem Raj, 43, has run the branch for 10 years and said the sight of smashed shopfront was “hard to see” when he was awoken by the alarm early this morning.

“We can’t believe that people would come and do this,” he said.

Officers believe the shop’s shutters were prised open before the burglars smashed the window to get in.

The incident has left the postmaster “shocked” as the thieves managed to steal a large amount of tobacco products in just two and a half minutes, according to the CCTV timestamps.

He estimated that the lost sales and repairs to the shopfront will set him back around £4,000, adding: “It is a lot of money, we don’t make that much and we have to buy all the cigarettes back little by little.

“This has never happened before but nowadays, we are scared. We have to be careful now with how people are coming into the shop and checking my CCTV.”

He was forced to close the branch today but repairs are already underway and he expects he will be able to open the shop tomorrow.

Police enquiries are ongoing and any information can be reported via 101 or the force's website, quoting crime reference number 41/49402/24.