A BURGLAR stole the till from a hair salon after smashing their way through the front door.

Staff at Envy Hair and Beauty in Old Heath Road, Colchester, arrived at 8.30am yesterday to find the bottom of the glass door smashed.

Once inside the salon, they noticed the till and petty cash tin, each containing about £30, were missing.

After reviewing grainy CCTV they saw an individual entering the salon at about 3.30am that morning.

It is believed they used a concrete slab to break the glass, and they managed to crawl through the gap in the bottom of the door.

Salon owner Sophie Manders said it was the first time the salon had been targeted in two decades.

She said: “There was no damage inside the salon.

“We had police and forensics round and they found glove marks on the outside of the windows, which we had cleaned the previous day.

“This is the first time it has happened and the salon has been in the family for about 20 years.”

The staff did not let the incident affect business.

Sophie said: “We stayed open after cleaning up, all you can do is carry on.”

There had been a sighting of the till on Barn Hall green, but there was no sign of it when staff went down the road to check.

Sophie said: “Apparently people had been seen taking photos of a till on the green, but there was nothing there when we got there.

“Any money that was in the till would have been taken.”

Police are still investigating the raid and urged anyone who has seen the till or who has information about the break-in to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.