Police are trying to find a dark coloured Vauxhall car following an early hours raid on the filling station at the Tesco store in Dereham.

Two or three men smashed glass in a door on the garage at Kingston Road at about 1.40am today and stole a large amount of cigarettes.

They then fled the scene in a dark coloured Vauxhall, which headed towards Swaffham on the A47.

The garage was shut at the time and no-one was inside.

Detectives are investigating and looking CCTV from the filling station.

They have also confirmed they are linking the break-in to the theft of number plates from a car in Laburnum Crescent on the Boyd Avenue estate in Toftwood.

The car owner was woken by police at about 2.30am and told of the theft of the plates and the vehicle had to be taken away for forensic checks.

Anyone with information should ring Thetford CID via the Norfolk Police switchboard number 101. People can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

Police tape was put across the front of the garage and people were prevented from going in before the filling station re-opened at about 12pm.

The Tesco store stayed open as normal and the police activity created a lot of interest among shoppers and also staff heading to Breckland Council and the businesses on the estate.

See Saturday's EDP for more on the raid.