AN intruder “smashed through the roof” of an award-winning market during an early morning raid.

CCTV footage shows a hooded figure trespassing inside Westhoughton Market in the early hours of Saturday morning, browsing the mobile phone stall.

There was also an attempted break-in at MP Chris Green’s office over the weekend, with the door badly damaged.

Brad Hargreaves, market owner, said: “They ripped a fence panel at the side of the building, climbed onto the roof and smashed through the timber.

"We have had to carry out repairs and re-board the roof, as well as installing additional security.

“We recovered five phones, which he must have dropped as he left. We don’t know at this stage how much he has taken. He has caused criminal damage.”

Mr Hargreaves, aged 25, said: “We are concerned for others. We have been broken into so it is unlikely they will come back.

“But there have been a number of break-ins at businesses in Westhoughton recently.

“We need to keep peace in Market Street. If anyone has any information, or sees someone selling phones, please call the police. We will do our best to find him.”

CCTV footage showed the offender scoping the building at about 12.30pm, and then returning at about 2am.

The burglar is believed to have stolen an unknown quantity of mobile phones from the stall Itech Mobiles.

There are between 30 and 40 stalls within the market, which won ‘Winner of the UK’s Best Small Indoor Market of the Year’ in 2012, and also received the Above & Beyond award at the inaugural My Community Hero awards at Dunscar Golf Club in Egerton this July.

Earlier this month, the Bolton News reported that two beauty salons, Kross Kuts Hair and Beauty and Mellisimo Beauty, had been broken into. It is not yet known whether the police are linking the incidents.

Chris Green posted on Facebook on Sunday: “This afternoon I was surprised to get a phone call from my constituency office, where the cleaner said he had found that someone had tried to break in overnight.

“We don’t know the motivation behind this, but it is likely to be an attempted robbery. Fortunately, the other neighbouring properties were not targeted.”

The Bolton News has contacted Greater Manchester Police.