POLICE are hunting a gang of four men who broke into a Chinese restaurant in broad daylight before they were spotted by local residents and made off.

Shop staff in Berry Hill newsagents on Park Road called 999 after the gang crowbarred their way through the back door of Huang’s restaurant and ransacked an upstairs flat shortly before 3pm on Monday (January 7).

Shop owner Valerie Stacey said: “When they realised they’d been spotted, we saw them walk past. There were three men and someone saw them get into a black Audi car driven by a fourth man in Coverham Road.

“They had their faces covered with what looked like bandanas, and one had a hoody on, but you could see they were white men.

“It was alarming, especially in broad daylight. There have been a few reports recently of people behaving suspicously around here, but not trying to break in in the middle of the day, so it’s concerning.

“They put a crowbar into the back door of the Chinese restaurant next door, but were spotted by someone going in and we rang the police.

“Then they walked back into the main road past our shop and round the corner where they were seen getting into the car and making off up Coverham Road.

“When they were spotted, they just sauntered off casually.”

A Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said: “Police attended restaurant premises in Park Road, Berry Hill, this afternoon following reports of three men trying to break in at 2.45pm.

“A member of the public called police after seeing three men force the door with a crowbar. They entered the premises and did an untidy search of the flat above.

“The three white males were then seen exiting the premises with hoods up and walking up Coverham Road. They then got into a car, believed to be a black Audi, with a fourth male driving. It’s not believed that anything was stolen”

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting incident number 214 of 7 January.