A FURNITURE warehouse in York has been burgled by an intruder who got away with thousands of pounds in goods and cash.

The burglar is believed to have hidden in Dave Dee’s Banana Warehouse in Piccadilly until it closed before breaking out through the shop’s 30ft-high roof with their haul.

Dave Dee, the owner of the Banana Warehouse, said £1,000 to £1,500-worth of goods was taken from the cabinets, which are rented to smaller sellers.

The haul included gold rings and silver spoons, and the keys to the display cabinets. A £500 Style Note laptop and £567 in cash were also taken.

He said the incident was a huge setback as the shop was not insured and business had already been seriously impacted by the recession.

Mr Dee said: “They have taken their lives in their hands climbing through the roof – there’s no other way they could get out, the padlocks are untouched.

“I’m fuming, we are all sick to the stomach. This is our life; it could ruin us but we won’t let it.

“We are running on a shoestring, we are so close to the wind because we have financial problems. We are trying to earn money by any means – this just knocks you back.”

He said a hole was found in the sheeting over the roof, which had been temporarily fixed but would need more extensive work.

The Banana Warehouse was also burgled six months ago, when £2,500 was stolen, he said.

Mr Dee said they would not be keeping any money in the shop in the future.

Police were called to the warehouse at 8.40am yesterday when the theft was discovered, and scene-of-crime officers fingerprinted and photographed the scene.

Police said other items taken included a sterling silver pencil, a dipping pen, a brooch, a solid silver chain and charm bracelet including precious stones and a gun-shaped charm.

The spokesman said: “This is an underhand burglary which has left the owners feeling upset about the intrusion into their livelihoods.”