Business bosses today called for extra police protection after "scumbags" raided a Uttoxeter industrial estate and stole items worth more than £50,000.

Among the goods taken from Bramshall Industrial Estate were a Land Rover Discovery 4x4, an Apple Mac laptop and valuable equine gear.

Now two of the victims say they want police to patrol the estate at night - and are calling for the public to help identify the crooks.

Although the raiders disabled the estate's CCTV cameras, footage has been salvaged after the hardware box was recovered from a nearby field.

Katie Rose runs Total Packaging Systems and stables business Venture Stud from the estate with partner Marcus Kirk. The couple's treasured Land Rover was taken, along with "irreplaceable" tack from the stables.

Ms Rose said: "It’s horrible, because it’s not just the fact they’ve taken valuable things – we have insurance, but that’s not the point.

"Some of the things to do with the horses are things I've been collecting for years. Some are older than me and I can’t ever replace them.

"It's awful watching them back on CCTV and seeing them inside your property. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.

Police are appealing for witnesses

"I’ve never been the victim of a burglary before. You know it goes on, but it’s not until it happens to you that you know how awful it feels.

"At the minute, my overriding emotion is anger. It make you furious to think people think they can just move on to your property and help themselves to what’s yours.

"The police have been fantastic and done everything they can, sending their forensic teams and investigators down, but there’s a limit.

"You know they’re stretched, but a police presence at night, if they could drive on to the estate and look around, would make a big difference.

"If it was known that the estate was patrolled, I think it might make people think twice, as it’s been targeted a few times down the years now."

Tracey Boulton, owner of groundwork contractor NJ Boulton, said the offenders had accessed the site through fields off Stafford Road.

She said: "These people are scumbags and want locking up, but there just aren’t enough police patrolling the area like there used to be.

"The police themselves said they were too thin on the ground in Uttoxeter and there had been cutbacks.

"Now we’re going to have to invest in more security, with laser-triggered alarms and a big guard dog.

"You need to do everything you can, because criminals don’t have to use the front gates – they can access the site through the fields.

"They cut the locks on the gates and broke into my office with a metal bar, taking an Apple Mac laptop worth about £1,000, a £1,000 air rifle and about £2,000 in other bits and bobs, including a new socket set.

"They also broke into the industrial estate café, but didn’t take anything, and broke into a mini-bus belonging to JST Buses, but didn’t take it.

"I feel terrible about what’s happened. At first, it doesn’t sink in, but then you watch the camera footage back.

"It’s pretty frightening when you see these men wearing face masks carrying a big metal bar on the CCTV images. You just think ‘what if someone would have come down and confronted them?’.

"What if my husband, Fred, would have heard something and gone down there to investigate? It’s so scary.

"My husband and I live neighbouring the business and you don’t sleep properly as you’re just there, listening out for noises."

A police spokesman said patrols of the estate would be increased and appealed for information about the burglaries.

He said: "We recognise the impact that this type of crime has on the victims, their families and the wider community.

"We are increasing patrols in the area to offer reassurance and support to those affected and would ask as part of this if anyone sees something suspicious or something that they are concerned about to report it to the police immediately.

"The burglaries are thought to have taken place between midnight on Thursday, October 26 and 2am on Friday, October 27.

"Anyone who was in the area at the time, anyone who has CCTV or dash cam footage of any suspicious behaviour or vehicles, or anyone with information on the whereabouts of the stolen items is asked to call 101 and quote incident number 122 of 27 October. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111."