Gangs of Eastern European immigrants are costing Bradford shopkeepers tens of thousands of pounds in a sneak-in theft scam, police said today.

The raiders are thought to be travelling from as far as the Midlands to attack shops and small stores across the district where the owners live on the premises.

As many as 15 people go into the shops and distract staff while some of the gang sneak into the living quarters and ransack it, with cash and expensive jewellery the top targets.

Police are now urging shopkeepers to tighten security and be aware of the scam.

Narinder Singh had both his general stores - in Saltaire and Leeds Road, Thackley - targeted within half an hour.

He said: "Between 11 and 15 people piled into the shop in Thackley, the youngest were in their 20s and the eldest looked about 70. They were in every aisle of the store.

"My wife was behind the counter and I was upstairs. I heard someone creeping about and there were two people in the flat. One was an old woman and someone else was in the stock room.

"I told them to get out and I contacted the police. They told me it was a new crime trend and they had had briefings about it. I phoned my father at our other shop to warn him and he said the gang had been in 25 minutes earlier.

"I was lucky because we don't live at the flat. We just use it as a stock room, so there are no valuables there. But I know of a shopkeeper at Keighley who had cash and jewellery stolen.

"They are all Eastern Europeans who are doing it and shop owners need to be aware. The police told me to dial 999 if it happened again and they would come straight out."

Inspector Kash Singh, of Bradford North's Neighbourhood Policing Team, said the problem was a major one throughout the district and West Yorkshire.

He said: "Gangs of Eastern European immigrants are operating with up to ten people at a time. They are travelling from out of the area and working as part of a big team.

"Dozens of businesses in the Bradford district have been hit, including a pub in Keighley but predominantly Asian shopkeepers. There have been five offences in my area in a few weeks, including at Heaton, Lidget Green and Eccleshill, and they have also struck at Frizinghall and Keighley.

"They distract the staff on the pretext of wanting to buy something or use the toilet while some sneak into the living quarters to steal whatever they can find. In one case, £3,500 in cash was stolen, and in another jewellery worth £2,000 was taken. Pakistani currency notes have also been stolen.

"The women can wear baggy clothes to hide the stuff they have stolen and they are using vehicles, which are parked nearby.

"Extensive inquiries are being made throughout West Yorkshire and we are linking with other police forces. A number of arrests have been made, but the business community needs to be aware of what is happening.

"Shop owners need to make sure their living quarters are secure and that their CCTV systems are working properly. They should also tell other businesses if they have been targeted so the information is passed on to as many people as possible to prevent further offences."

Anyone who has information about such incidents should contact West Yorkshire Police on 0845 6060606, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

e-mail: steve.wright @bradford.newsquest.co.uk