Three more shops across Norfolk have been raided this morning, taking the total to five in just three days.A community run-shop and two other rural shops in villages in mid-Norfolk were hit by burglars between 1.

Three more shops across Norfolk have been raided this morning, taking the total to five in just three days.

A community run-shop and two other rural shops in villages in mid-Norfolk were hit by burglars between 1.40am and 2.30am.

In one case it is believed a delivery driver dropping off newspapers spotted the burglars as they left the scene.

The three raids this morning follows two in the early hours of Saturday morning and another two similar raids, all at village shops and post offices, before Christmas.

The first this morning was at the Co-op store in Melton Constable, which was broken into at 1.40am. The door was smashed in and cigarettes taken.

An attempt to break into a post office branch inside the shop was made but nothing taken.

Then at 2am raiders targeted Swanton Morley village store, again smashing in the front door and then breaking into a cupboard to get cigarettes. It is believed four men were involved in this raid.

Then at 2.37am community run village shop Mileham Stores was smashed into.

The front door of the shop was smashed in and a cabinet containing cigarettes was broken in to. The burglars also tried to gain access to a post office area but were unsuccessful.

Mileham stores opened in 2007 by a group of villagers who saved it from closure.

On Saturday Lyng post office was raided just after 3am, it is believed by a group of four men.

The gang ram-raided the building and took a cash-filled safe.

Police said officers were investigating whether it was linked to an incident that happened at the Bell Inn, in Barnham Broom, at about 3am the same morning.

Before Christmas the shop at Barnham Broom was also raided, on the same morning as another raid on a shop in Hempnall, south of Norwich.

t Anyone with information should contact Det Con Colin Aris at Dereham CID on 0845 4564567.