Luxury store targeted by robbers

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Thieves have stolen tens of thousands of pounds of jewellery from the London branch of Harvey Nichols.

Six suspects riding on high-powered motorcycles were seen pulling up outside the luxury Knightsbridge store shortly after 0130 BST.

Police said three of the men dismounted and used at least one sledgehammer to batter their way through the glass entrance in Sloane Street.

They smashed and emptied several glass cabinets containing the jewellery.

CCTV cameras captured the thieves returning to the waiting motorcycles and then making off towards Hyde Park Corner.

No weapons

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the six men were wearing dark clothing, hooded jumpers, gloves and crash helmets.

He said: "The three bikes stopped and reversed onto the pavement directly outside a side entrance on Sloane Street and three pillion passengers jumped off the bikes and made their way to a set of glass doors which led into the store's hallway."

He said no weapons were recovered at the scene.

The suspects are believed to be part of a notorious group of about 50 loosely-connected individuals, mainly teenagers.

Dubbed "Fagin's Kitchen" gangs, the criminals mainly target wealthy parts of the capital including Knightsbridge, Kensington and the Regent Street area.

They are believed to have struck dozens of times and made off with goods worth more than £4m in the past 12 months.