A BURGLAR was caught on CCTV as he spent four hours trying to get into a newsagent before stealing nearly £5,000 worth of cigarettes and drink.

When the intruder finally got inside Southcote News in Bournemouth and the alarms sounded, owner Guganesan Nadarajah arrived too late to stop him, but watched film footage of the man first trying to get in through a side door before making it in through the skylight.

Mr Nadarajah and his staff were left disgusted to have lost so much stock.

He said: “He spent four hours trying to get in but when he did he spent 10 minutes inside.

“We work hard here opening the shop from 5.30am to 10 o’clock at night and somebody just comes and kills off your livelihood.”

Mr Nadarajah said he was angry as he watched the CCTV footage and saw the intruder and another man who he believes was acting as a lookout in the side alley next to the shop in Southcote Road at Springbourne.

He added: “He tried with a screwdriver first and then with a hammer using the screwdriver as a chisel.”

“They must have given up and spent the rest of the time finding the skylight and unscrewing it to get in. I’ve had the skylight barred up now .

“It’s hard to work out straight away but I estimate I’ve lost nearly £5,000 worth of cigarettes and bottles of drink.”

On the film the burglar was seen trying to prise the door open and falling backwards to the floor as he failed to get in at 10.20pm on Sunday, April 29.

Once inside at 2.20am on the Monday the night vision camera shows him filling a makeshift sack with four shelves of cigarettes and the drink.

“He forgot his torch so you see him come back for that and he takes more bottles,” Mr Nadarajah added.

Bottles of whisky costing up to £30 were among the drinks taken and discarded cans and a bottles of Jameson whisky were found on the roof and in the alleyway afterwards.

Shop worker Koumar Sivatharsan added: “Hopefully they will be caught and will learn their lesson and I hope it will teach other people not to do this.”

A Dorset Police spokesman said a 40-year-old man from Poole was arrested on suspicion of the burglary but was bailed pending further enquiries.

She appealed for any witnesses or anyone with information to call them on 101, quoting incident number 30:24.