?A tobacconist is considering closing up shop after 18 years thanks to callous thieves attacking his independent shop for the fourth time in a matter of weeks.

Tony Cox, 67, said he is thinking about giving up on his business at the Leather, Glass & Tobacco shop on White Horse Lane after callous thieves pulled off a wood panel and tried breaking in overnight on Monday.

“They didn’t get anything this time,” said Tony, “someone managed to call the police.”

Tony explained that the would-be thieves pulled off a wood panel he had only installed two weeks ago to cover the previous damage. ??“I can’t fault the police. They got here. But there is not enough of them,” said Tony.

The thieves managed to prise off the panel, but were blocked by a new metal shuttering system Tony had installed last Friday — “they’re not getting through that,” he said. ??The longtime owner of the shop said, “I am ready to call it a day, to be honest. I’ve just about had enough. There are not enough police. We pay exorbitant rates in to the pot—and for what? I’ve had enough.”

Two weeks ago, the thieves used a sledgehammer to bash through the tobacco shop window and door, before ransacking the place for the third time.

They rummaged through shelves and cabinets, before stealing expensive Cuban cigars, meaning independent owner Tony is £20,000 out of pocket.

Just a week before that, they stripped the store of hundreds of packets of tobacco, cigarettes, cigars, leather wallets, two cash registers, and a charity box containing a ‘large amount of cash’.

Previous burglaries saw thieves bilk the shop of £4,000-worth of cigarettes and tobacco.

Over the four burglaries, they have smashed the shop window and belted 12 sledgehammer-sized holes in the front door, which Tony fixed himself as well damaged window, door frames, and bent security gate.??If you have any information on this crime, please contact police on 101.