Rolex watches worth £22,000 have been stolen by robbers wielding sledgehammers filmed breaking into a family-run jewellers in south-west London.
Footage shows three masked men repeatedly striking at the glass of the Antony James shop in Kingston.
Witnesses said the culprits, said to be aged 17 to 20, ran off with their haul within 20 seconds just after 5pm on Monday.
Antony James Jewellers has been based in the town for 50 years.
But its facade was completely destroyed despite staff pulling down an electric shutter to prevent them accessing five to six additional timepieces.
A blind man inside the store was left in tears and too terrfied to return home.
One employee said: “There was a blind and disabled guy. He obviously couldn’t see what happened and thought the sound of the hammers was an earthquake.
Antony James Jewellers has received an outpouring of support from neighbouring businesses.
The spokesman added: “We’re a big part of Kingston and have been here for half a century. We’ve had three phone calls today checking if we are okay.
