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Small businesses say they will bounce back after being the victims of a series of heartbreaking burglaries.

Four units in Bovis House business centre, in Victoria Road, Hartlepool, were ransacked in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Raiders were captured on the building’s CCTV kicking in businesses’ doors to get inside.

Personalised products business Cauldron of Colours, nail salon Morbidia, Blinkin Beauty and 3D printing service Phantasm 3D lost thousands of pounds of stock, equipment and cash and had to temporarily close.

Burglary victims Colin Maddison of Phantasm 3D and Jaye Alsop from Cauldron of Colours in the room they share at Bovis House. Picture by FRANK REID

But they have vowed not to be beaten and praised the brilliant support from the community in response.

Jaye Alsop of Cauldon of Colours, who lost her computer with three years of work on it, said: “I’ve been offered a new laptop.

"It’s an awful thing to go through but nice to have that community behind us.”

Colin Maddison, of Phantasm 3D, added: “The amount of people who have offered to come in and help clean up and asked if there’s anything we need, it’s how things used to be.”

Tom Cook looking at damage done to the door of Blinkin Beauty in Bovis House which was burgled. Picture by FRANK REID

Bovis House is a not-for-profit enterprise run by The Big League Community Interest Company (CIC) to support local small businesses.

Managers were alerted to the break-ins and police arrived within minutes.

Katie Kennedy, who runs Blinkin Beauty, described the burglary as “just devastating” while Fay Holroyd, of Morbidia, who lost numerous polishes and tools, said: “I’m determined to get back up and running.

“It’s not going to keep us down.”

Scenes of crime police at Bovis House on Saturday morning.

All the businesses thanked the Bovis House management and said their support had been “second to none”.

Building manager Tom Cook says they will replace the stolen items and will do anything they can to help the tenants.

He said: “The fact that we’ve been targeted and the businesses that have been targeted is more than upsetting.”

But he added: “We’ve been blown away by the level of public support. People in the town have been amazing.”

Christopher Raw, 42, and John Gray, 62, both of Grange Road, and Keith Gorse, 46, of Shrewsbury Street, Hartlepool, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with four counts of burglary.

Raw and Gray were remanded in custody and Gorse was bailed until their next appearances in May.

Hartlepool small businesses vow to bounce back after heartbreaking burglaries