IT is business as usual at a Honiton mobile phone shop – no thanks to thieves, who smashed their way into the store and stole a large amount of stock.

IT is business as usual at a Honiton mobile phone shop - no thanks to thieves, who smashed their way into the store and stole a large amount of stock.

Burglars brazenly smashed through the front door of the JAG Orange store, in New Street, at around 2am on Tuesday last week.

They then attempted to break through ceiling tiles to reach the stockroom, before simply breaking open the door.

Around 25 phones, mainly Pay As You Go models, were stolen.

Witnesses have reported seeing people fleeing the scene, carrying bin bags and getting into a red Audi A4.

The shop's licensee Gareth Bale has only been trading at the premises since July 17.

He was forced to shut the business for much of Tuesday, but is now upbeat about the future.

"It wasn't ideal, but it's business as usual now," he told the Herald.

"I think it was very calculated, because they didn't go for money or computers."

Pure Geezer, next to the mobile phone shop, was raided in a similar fashion within hours of the business being launched.