VIOLENT thieves tore apart a go-karting centre stealing thousands of pounds in cash during a midnight raid.

The crooks smashed through a brick wall at F1 Karting Limited off Motherwell Way, Grays, to gain access, activating an alarm just before 12pm on Saturday February 1.

They then ripped a safe from its bolts in the floor before making off with it.

The safe, which has not yet been recovered, contained several thousand pounds in cash and officers suspect more than one assailant and a vehicle would have been needed to move it.

More than £3,000 worth of damage was caused in the wake of the destruction.

Anyone with information about the break-in or who saw any suspicious activity in the area at the relevant time is asked to contact PC Stuart Rawlings at Grays Police Station on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.