The property backs onto the RSL car park.

The alarm was activated at around 3.30am and owner Martin King was called in to discover the lock on the metal shutter at the rear of the store had been torn off, the shutter raised and the bottom of the glass door kicked in. 

By the time he arrived, all the alarms had gone off. 

He said his upstairs neighbour had heard the commotion, leaned out his window and yelled at the intruders, prompting them to flee. 

They left the building through a rear security door but appear to have left behind a bag containing ID. 

Mr King said he doesn’t think the intruders had time to take anything, but he is doing a full inventory of his stock.

He said he already has CCTV cameras in place, but is planning to add a few more after this incident.

The business owner said he had noticed a few items had been stolen earlier in the week, including a model car, a musical jug and a royal plate.

He suspects the intruders had been in to case the shop before breaking in.

Police are now investigating.

Mr King, who moved to his George Street premises from the Crago Mill about eight months ago, said this is the first problem he has had at the new location.

He is disappointed that something like this could happen in Bathurst.

“It’s such a lovely town. We had hoped we’d left this kind of thing behind in England,” Mr King said.

“In this instance we were very, very lucky.

“I am so grateful to my neighbour for paying attention to what was happening and shouting out the window.”

A car belonging to another neighbour was also damaged on Saturday morning.

It appears as though it was beaten with a bat or bar.

It is not clear whether the incidents were related.