Burglars ransack Italian restaurant

Burglars ransacked Franco’s in the early hours of Friday, smashing their way into the town centre eatery through a back door.

Police officers were combing the scene for clues throughout Friday morning although the damage was restricted to an office rather than the restaurant facilities.

Therefore, manager Franco Spinelli said service would continue as usual throughout the weekend at the popular Italian.

However, the damage caused by the rampaging burglars who smashed windows and equipment, will mean an extensive and potentially costly clean-up operation.

He told the Wigan Post: “We think the back door was smashed with a metal bar and they got into our office.

“But we will open as normal, the restaurant and the kitchen has not been affected.”

An office safe and important documents were taken in the raid and checks were still being made to ascertain what else may have been stolen.

Mr Spinelli said he believes CCTV cameras in the area, close to Wigan Council’s Life Centre complex on Library Street, may have picked up the offenders and the footage is being used as a line of enquiry by the investigating officers.

He said: “The police have been here (on Friday morning) and have requested the footage so we’ll have to wait and see what shows up from that.”

The break-in is understood to have taken place between 1am - the time that staff left the building from the previous night’s service - and 7am, when they returned to work the following day.