THE owner of a Dorchester hair salon which was targeted by thieves this week has revealed it is the fifth raid on her shop since she opened - and said more than £1,000 worth of equipment was stolen in the latest break-in.

Heather Hair Salon, on Durngate Street, was broken into at around 5am on Tuesday, March 9.

The salon has been open for 28 years in Dorchester, and this is the fifth time it has been broken into. The last break-in at the salon was April 2019.

Heather Ryan, owner of the salon, said that it was not until the next day, on Wednesday morning that she realised that there had been a theft and a forced entry into the property.

She was in the salon with another employee on Wednesday taking appointments and preparing to reopen for when lockdown restrictions ease.

However it was only when Mrs Ryan went into the back of the salon that she saw that one of the shelves was empty. She then realised the back panel in the back door had been smashed through.

Police will be checking CCTV at the premises which recorded the break-in.

After looking at the footage - which shows a man searching the salon - Mrs Ryan said: “He took loads of electrical stuff, things like straighteners and hair dryers.

“The one thing that I was worried about was our one member of staff who was in here alone before I got in. If she had found the broken door in the back, it might have scared her.”

She added: “The whole time he was here, they were being filmed. He was really slow, he was in here for over half an hour. He went through everything; our equipment draw, and our trollies.”

Mrs Ryan, 66, said she would be increasing her security yet again after this fifth break-in - and even said she was thinking of putting metal bars on the windows.

Dorset Police are investigating the break-in and theft after they received a report at around 10.45am on March 10.

A police spokeswoman said: “Dorset Police received a report at around 10.45am on Wednesday 10 March 2021 of a break-in at Heather Hair Salon in Durngate Street in Dorchester.

“It’s believed the incident occurred between 4.45am and 5.15am on Tuesday 9 March 2021.

“An investigation is underway into the incident. No arrests have been made at this time.”

If you have any information, contact Dorset Police on 101 referencing crime number: 55210038660.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.