Thousands of pounds worth of designer eyewear stock was stolen in an early morning robbery on Wednesday, March 30 at Penarth Eye Centre.

Nicki Smalley, head of visual merchandise and social media at Penarth Eye Centre, spoke on behalf of the owner to Nub News: "My boss was woken with a call to say the alarm was going off on our premises at 03:20 and her husband went to sort it out thinking it was a false alarm," she said.

"But unfortunately, he was faced with significant damage and stolen stock.

"They have taken an estimated £6,000 worth of stock including our Ray-Ban and other designer sunglasses and all our brand-new stock of our Eco eyewear range, which we had only had on the shop floor for a few days, ready to run our Eco promotion for spring.

"We are saddened deeply that this has happened. The pandemic has been such a struggle for everyone but especially independent businesses."

She continued: "We are still trying to catch up on reduced clinic and like everyone, have suffered a loss of earnings. The knock-on effect that a break-in has doesn't go through the criminals' minds.

"The stock is one thing but it's all the other things like dealing with the insurance, having to cancel patients whilst we sort everything out, replacing our windows and chairs for the waiting area not to mention the stress on our emotional well-being.

"We cannot thank everyone around us for all the support and help, especially our fellow Windsor Arcade businesses. Times like this remind you that Penarth is a kind community that looks after one another.

"We would appreciate it if anyone has any information, they can reach out to us."