Moment hammer-wielding thugs break into family-run jewellers in leafy London suburb while brave staff desperately save what they can in brazen daytime heist

This is the moment hammer-wielding thugs broke into a family-run jewelers and looted the display as brave staff tried to fend them off.

The brazen daylight robbery took place in Richmond, west London, this morning.

Footage captured by a spectator and shared widely on social media showed two men swinging a larger hammer at the window of family-owned jeweler Gregory & Co.

They then peel back the glass and begin stuffing all the valuables on display into a blue bag.

Staff inside the store can then be seen desperately trying to retrieve what they can before the thieves snatch it away.

The staff then bravely begin hitting the robbers with what looks like a small box to deter them from taking any more goods – but without much success.

The bandits then flee the scene as shocked bystanders watch.

An employee at a nearby store who witnessed the incident told the Daily Mail how the robbers caused chaos during their heist in the wealthy west London town this Saturday morning.

Footage captured by a spectator and shared widely on social media showed two men swinging a larger hammer at the window of family-owned jeweler Gregory & Co.

‘Two men suddenly appeared carrying a large sledgehammer and a bag. “Then they started breaking the jeweler’s window,” they said.

The Daily Mail has contacted the Metropolitan Police for a comment.

The robbery is just the latest example of robbers targeting jewelers in the capital.

On Thursday, Sultan Jewelers on Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, was attacked by several men who smashed the shop’s windows with a sledgehammer.

Police officers arrived on the scene within three minutes and were threatened with hammers as the thieves tried to speed away on mopeds.

A 33-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of aggravated burglary and remained in police custody. However, many thieves escaped from the police.

As the police cordon was pulled down 12 hours after the theft, broken glass and pieces of jewelery were strewn on the ground outside.

Jack Stones, landlord of the neighboring Defectors Weld pub, said there was fresh blood on the pavement as he walked past the jewelers at 7am, more than three hours after the attack.

One local resident said the attack was eerily similar to another robbery in October 2019, when three robbers armed with a sledgehammer entered the store in a Range Rover.

Sultan Jewelers on Uxbridge Road, Shepherds Bush, was targeted by several men who smashed the shop’s windows with sledgehammers.

Although more than 12 hours had passed since the theft, the police cordon was pulled and broken glass and pieces of jewelry were scattered on the ground.

Mr Khan, who gave only his surname, said: ‘This is Shepherds Bush, there are always young people causing trouble, kicking down shop doors and drinking. Crime has gotten very bad here lately.’

In the previous robbery, a black Range Rover was seen entering the window of the e-Smart Money exchange office, which is internally connected to the jewelers, and then a thief wearing a motorcycle helmet jumped out with a sledgehammer.

Bystanders were forced to take justice into their own hands and subdued one of the three robbers, Ben Wegener, as he tried to escape on foot towards the Westfield shopping centre.

Pedestrians ran to the thief, who dropped a bag on the ground as he fell, and tried to restrain him. Other onlookers who punched him on the street filmed these scenes.

A small group then pushed the apparent thief to the ground as he tried to stand up.

Wegener, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he and two accomplices robbed the store and narrowly missed people inside.

The other two robbers escaped but Wegener pleaded guilty to robbery, dangerous driving, possession of an offensive weapon, criminal damage and receiving stolen property.

Police later recovered the stolen Range Rover, which had fake number plates.