All images: Metropolitan Police

The incident was reported to police on Monday 10 July after employees arrived at work to discover the shop in disarray. The raid took place between 3am and 6.40am that morning.

Eight suspects are believed to have been involved, with three entering the shop and the rest acting as lookouts.

Metropolitan Police One of the suspects inside the shop Metropolitan Police

Police said three men used a sledgehammer and a crowbar – left at the scene – to create a hole in the rear of the shop.

Once it was large enough, they crawled inside. The men spent more than three hours inside gathering the jewellery from drawers and counters and stuffing it into rucksacks.

‘Meticulously planned and audacious’

They then left via the hole and are believed to have climbed a wall into a builders’ yard behind the shop before fleeing.

The remaining suspects acted as lookouts, three of whom watched the shop from 5pm on Sunday 9 July until the raid was complete.

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Metropolitan Police Damage after the raid Metropolitan Police

All the suspects are men, with some aged in their mid-30s. The three men inside the shop wore gloves and had their faces covered.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Pallett said: “This was a meticulously planned and audacious raid on a jewellery shop with £1.8million of items stolen.

While we think it only took the suspects around 20 mins to make the hole, it must have been noisy work and we would appeal for anyone who heard or saw anything suspicious to contact us.

Officers would also like to hear from anyone who might have been offered items of jewellery for sale in the days or weeks following this incident.

There have been no arrests to date and enquiries continue.

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