THE owners of a jewellery shop targeted in a smash and grab raid said the thieves got away with more than £15,000 worth of property.

Five masked robbers armed with sledgehammers attacked the front of The Gold Centre in Normanton on Saturday afternoon.

They broke the shop's main window before reaching in and snatching jewellery from the display and speeding off in a car.

The robbery took place just before 5pm and shop manager Mohammed Suleman was inside with his nephew, Irfan Mohammed, who helps run the family-owned store.

Mr Suleman, 39, said he had been at the back of the shop when the attack began.

He said: "I was dealing with some work when I heard the banging.

"There were no customers in the shop, thankfully. The previous shoppers had left moments before.

"I ran into the front of the shop and saw five men with sledgehammers and pickaxes smashing them into the front window, trying to make a hole.

"I shouted at Irfan to close the shutters, which would come down over the front of the glass. He hit the switch we have and they started coming down."

But Mr Suleman, who lives in Warwick Avenue, said the robbers had managed to make a hole and grab three large gold necklaces.

He said: "They were worth between £15,000 and £20,000.

"Other jewellery spilled into the street but members of the public handed them back in to us later."

Police said the men sped off in a blue Peugeot 207 before abandoning the car in nearby Darby Street.

Yesterday, officers were still looking for the men and said witnesses saw the thieves leaving the Darby Street area in a small car.

Mr Mohammed, 25, who was in the front of the shop when the robbery began, said: "It only seemed to last about 30 seconds.

"We are covered by insurance for the loss and for the thousands of pounds it will cost to get the glass repaired.

"I hit the panic button almost straight away and that put a call into the police, who were here within minutes."

He said four of the men were wearing balaclavas but one man had a hooded top.

He said: "That man had a pale complexion and was most likely Asian. He had a long nose."

Anyone with information about the raid should call police on 0345 123 3333 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.