THE Bicknell family of Flagstone is again picking up the pieces following the 18th break-in at their business.
The family’s IGA Express store in the Flagstone Shopping Village was broken into about 4.30am on Sunday morning.
Two men, who arrived in a white Commodore, broke through a window to gain entry to the store.
While nothing was stolen in the robbery, store owner Brian Bicknell said the thieves caused about $2000 worth of damage and made a huge mess to clean up.
He said as fate would have it, he had driven past the store just three minutes before the thieves broke in.
“I left home yesterday morning to head down to our other store on the Gold Coast, when I went past (the Flagstone store) I saw a car there but there was no one in it,” he said.
“Then I got a phone call from security, they said multiple sensors were going off, I said call the police, I knew what it would be.
“When I went back over the footage I realised I’d driven past about three minutes before it happened.”
Mr Bicknell said the thieves had attempted to break into the cigarette cabinet and ransacked the office.
He said it was not surprising the store was hit again, having happened so often over the 10 years he has owned it.
“When we heard about the two shops, the Greenbank (Winter Winds) Nursery and the (Jimboomba Mechanical) tyre store being hit recently, I thought ‘they are on the rampage again’,” he said.
“We have some footage... (but) the police didn’t recognise them.”
Anyone with information on the break-in should phone CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
