RAIDERS armed with a battering ram grabbed cash and caused £2,000 damage after smashing their way into a children's centre.
Police are hunting those responsible for the attack on Atlantic Antics at Viking Business Park, Jarrow.
About £800 from vending machines was taken in the raid, which happened at around 1.45am on Sunday.
The break-in is the fourth at the adventu
re play area in recent years.
Owner Ged Edgar said: "They must have used a crowbar or a battering ram, because they smashed open the front door and broke into the main office, before wrecking the place.
"The security sensors were ripped from the wall, but that triggered the alarms, and police were at the premises very quickly.
"The damage will cost about £2,000 to put right. This raid has come at a bad time, because our numbers are down due to the credit crunch."
Manager Yvonne MacPherson was roused from her bed when she received a call about the raid. She said: "They must have used a battering ram or something similar, because they smashed a hole in the front door and ripped open the door to my office.
"They took about £800 collected from vending machines and tried to rip the safe off the wall. Luckily, all the takings for the week are banked at the weekend, otherwise they could have got away with more money.
"This is the fourth raid on the place since we opened four years ago. The last time, someone trying to get in ran off after being disturbed by the cleaner."
The credit crunch has seen weekly numbers of people using the play centre fall from a weekly average of 1,800 last year to 1,300 in 2008.
Inspector Ian King said: "A police dog handler was at the scene within five minutes after alarms were activated at the premises.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at South Tyneside Area Command on 03456 043 043.
The full article contains 335 words and appears in Shields Gazette newspaper.
