A BUSINESSMAN says he came close to shutting up shop for good following a recent burglary which has left him thousands of pounds out of pocket.

Rene Cooke, the owner of Treasure Trove, which has been based on Barbourne Road for the last three-and-a-half years, said he "felt sick" when he discovered his shop — which sells antiques, furniture and other items — had been broken in to on Thursday.

Mr Cooke, who ran the shop in Droitwich for three years before moving it to Worcester, said he was "devastated".

He said: "I had a call from the alarm centre at around 2.15am who told me the alarm was going off in the shop. I rushed from my home in Droitwich and when I got to the shop I saw the front window had been smashed and there was broken porcelain on the floor outside. I was in shock, but I called the police."

Thieves stole 16 pieces of Royal Crown Derby porcelain, worth around £10,000, but factoring in the damage to the shop and several other items broken during the raid, Mr Cooke says he has lost around £20,000 in total.

"When I found out what had happened I had it in my mind that that was it, I was going to close the shop for good. I was just angry and upset. It's not so much about the items that were taken, although they are very expensive pieces. It's more about the damage that has been done to my shop. We all work hard here to make the shop a nice place to be and we present it well. So it's devastating to see it in such a state.

"I was going to close it, but the kindness of the police, especially PC Sue Goddard, pushed me to keep it open. They were so helpful, and customers have been so kind calling in to talk about what happened.

"We were targeted by thieves once previously in Worcester, and once when we were based in Droitwich. But I've been in the antiques business for 40 years, so I will keep going and just try to move on."

Police are seeking two men, described as wearing hooded tops, scarves and gloves, in connection with this incident.

They made off in the direction of St George's Lane North following the burglary.

Call police on 101 quoting incident 35S of Thursday 26 March with information or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.