FOUR masked burglars forced their way into a cafe in a country park in the middle of the night and made off with a safe full of cash.

The thieves caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage when they broke into the visitor centre cafe at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield, County Durham, just before midnight on Bank Holiday Monday.

Their actions also resulted in the park having to close the cafe on Tuesday (May 26), when the picturesque attraction welcomed hundreds of families enjoying a day out during the half-term break.

The intruders gained access to the cafe by forcing open the external door with a crowbar and then broke through an internal door to get to the safe, which contained a large quantity of money.

They then dragged the safe across the cafe floor and lifted it on to a heavy duty trolley.

Police believe the men left the Durham County Council-owned park in a getaway vehicle, but the make, model and colour of the car are unknown.

Some of the incident was captured on CCTV but the intruders were heavily disguised by masks and dark clothing.

Police are now analysing the footage and are calling on anyone with information about the incident to get in touch.

Detective Constable Claire McElvaney, of Durham Police, said: “This was a well planned and well organised crime committed in the middle of the night by four males who were captured on CCTV during the incident.

“At this stage enquiries are ongoing to identify these males. They were well prepared and had a vehicle with them.

“If anyone has any information about these males of has seen a vehicle carrying four men in the Hardwick area overnight on Monday into Tuesday we would urge them to contact us.”

Anyone with information about the crime should contact Detective Constable Steven Constantine on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.