A GANG of thieves used a sledgehammer to smash their way into a Newton Abbot warehouse to steal an estimated £65,000 of football boots.

They got away with about 1,000 pairs of boxed and unboxed boots, including top brands such as Nike, adidas and Puma.

Detectives probing the daring night-time attack on the Pro-Direct Sport Ltd depot at Shaldon Road, Milber, are anxious to trace anyone who may have seen or heard anything suspicious at the time of the raid on Thursday night last week.

They also want to hear from anyone who is offered brand new football boots at bargain prices.

A police spokesman said efforts were being made to trace a white Luton-type van which may have been in the area at the time