Crime: Halifax town centre shop owner's heartbreak after thieves smash window and steal phones worth thousands

The culprits smashed their way into Irshad Ahmad’s Mobile Express, in Woolshops Shopping Centre, and stole mobile phones and laptops worth around £25,000.

He only opened the shop a few months ago, coming from Manchester to start a life here.

He has called for better security in the area.

"This isn’t a city, it’s a tourist spot. Security should be 100 per cent so people want to visit here,” he said.

"Thefts like this affect the whole town.”

Another shop, technology and entertainment dealer CeX – also in Woolshops – was also hit overnight, with thieves trying to break in through an upstairs window. They did not manage to take anything.

Anyone with information about either theft should call police on 101 or contact them via the live chat facility on the West Yorkshire Police website.