AN EARLY morning ram raid on a hair salon in Melksham was just one of a spate of car crimes at the weekend as west Wiltshire experiences a mini crimewave.

Alex Stevens and her family were woken by a phone call from Wiltshire Police in the early hours of Saturday alerting them to a break-in at Tops salon on the High Street. A Nissan Sunny had been driven through the salon window and top brand GHD dryers and straighteners worth £1,500 had been stolen.

Miss Stevens, who runs the salon with her sister Victoria and mother Sandra, said: “From what we know, a car was stolen from an elderly couple in Wiltshire Crescent then driven down the High street. They stopped and came back, then lined up with our window and just reversed into it.

"The glass came down and folded in half, the driver stayed in the car and the passenger came in and stole GHD hair dryers and straighteners, worth £1,500.”

The family raced down just after 4am to discover the damage, and have been working this week to keep the business open.

"It was just such a shock. Thankfully they didn’t make off with all the products and we weren’t completely ransacked. I never would have dreamt that this would happen. It took a lot of clearing up but it will be business as usual for our customers.

"We have been told that the car was found burned out in Weston-super-Mare,” added Miss Stevens.

The theft was captured on CCTV and police say they are now examining the footage and have also stepped up patrols in the town centre.

At 3.50am the car reversed into Gowen House, High Street, and hair products were stolen from inside. Just over an hour later, a car matching the description was reported as stolen from a home in Wiltshire Crescent.

On the same night, tyres on a Freight Rover Metro, a Rover MGS, a Renault Clio, a Renault Kangoo, a Nissan 350Z, a Vauxhall Vectra, a Honda Logo Auto, a Hyundai i20, a Peugeot 206 and a Volkswagen Polo parked in Hampshire Place, were slashed.

A Vauxhall Insignia parked in Devonshire Place also had its tyres punctured between 4.30pm on Friday and 11.30am on Saturday. And at 3.50pm, police received reports that a man had walked on to the driveway of a home in Sangster Avenue and tried to drive off with a car and a motorbike. A bike on the driveway was stolen.

PC Charly Chilton said: “Following a spate of vehicle crime in Melksham, we will be carrying out high visibility patrols in the area over the coming days and nights.

“We would encourage residents to be mindful when parking vehicles and ensure you leave cars and motorbikes in well-lit areas where possible.

“Please also ensure vehicles are locked at all times and do not leave valuables inside. This can be seen as an invitation to opportunist thieves.

“This spate of crime over the weekend has no doubt inconvenienced a number of people who were only aware of the damage the following morning when they attempted to use their vehicles.

“We’d like to appeal to anyone who saw or heard any suspicious activity in the area, who has not already spoken to police, to please call us on 101. Any information you have may be crucial to our investigation.”

If residents would like to report similar incidents anonymously they can call 0800 555 111.