BURGLARS caused £20,000 damage in a raid on a jobseekers' workshop.

The burglary was on Impact Coffee and Cards in North Walk, Cwmbran. Thieves smashed a computer, stole £1,500 from a safe, and flooded the building before making their escape.

The shop is owned by Instant Muscle, a workshop which helps the long-term unemployed find new work.

Operations manager Frances Butler said: "What must have happened was that the burglars had got on the flat roof of the building behind us and broke in through the window of the gents.

"They took the computer from the till downstairs but then they couldn't get it out so they threw on the floor so now that's ruined.

"They broke into our safe and stole about £1,500 in cash, and opened up our fridges and freezers and left the doors open, ruining all our food stocks.

"And worst of all, they broke the water heater away from the pipes by standing on it to get out and that meant that we walked into about two inches of water when we discovered all this on Monday.

"We're still waiting for quotes from the insurance but the ceiling and floors probably need replacing apart from anything else, so it could cost us between £15,000 and £20,000.

"It's especially sickening because we're an organisation that does a lot of good work."

Crime reduction officer PC Darrell Dewar said the burglars got in through a broken window at the back of the building.

He said: "Extensive damage has been caused to the premises. Anyone who has any information about this, or who was in the vicinity of the building on Sunday and saw something suspicious, should contact Cwmbran police on 01633 838111."