BURGLARS stole thousands of pounds of golfing equipment after smashing their way into Frinton Golf Club before driving off across the hallowed seaside course.

The crooks used concrete blocks to break into the club shop, off The Esplanade, in the early hours of Sunday.

They escaped with a haul of equipment, including golf clubs, valued at between £5,000 and £8,000.

The intruders tripped the shop’s alarm, but were gone by the time staff arrived.

The burglary was one of a number of break-ins across Clacton and Frinton at the weekend that has led to police stepping up patrols and stop-checks.

Hamish Stubbs, who works in the shop and is a coach at the club, said: “We’re disgusted by the damage they have caused – they even left tyre marks on the course where they reversed up to the shop.

“It’s rather upsetting for the golf club.

“We believe they have come up from Holland-on-Sea and driven across farmland, made their way on to the public footpath and then driven across the course.

“There was mud on the tyres, which has been pressed down into the grass.”

He added: “Hopefully, it will only take a few cuts for the course to repair. They also smashed the window with a concrete block and there was glass everywhere.

“They left quite a lot of mess and had trodden on other equipment as they climbed in.

“They have taken a lot of equipment.”

The stolen goods include Cobra, Titleist and Ping golf clubs, Wilson woods and drivers, as well as various putters, Motocaddy accessories and Tom Tom GPS watches.

Crooks also targeted A&D Reclaim in Sladbury’s Lane, Clacton, on Saturday night.

Owner Karl Dixon called for more police patrols following a series of break-ins in the area.

He said: “They tried to break into the yard, but couldn’t get in.

“I was told there were six break-ins in a couple of hours.

“Police resources are being cut back, but we need more patrols – I don’t understand what we are paying tax for.”

District commander Chief Inspector Russ Cole said police were aware of a growing trend of burglaries at commercial premises in recent weeks.

It is understood a garage in Kirby Cross, a shop in Little Clacton and a workshop on Clacton’s Gorse Lane Industrial Estate were also targeted.

“We are looking at a team of criminals who are adept at using local roads to avoid being detected,” said Mr Cole.

“We are going to step up patrols and deploy PCSOs for high-visibility policing.

“We are looking at the use of roads and vehicles and will increase the number of stop-checks of vehicles.

“This is not isolated to just Clacton or Frinton, but is spread across the area.”

Additional officers could also be brought in from across Essex and there will be an increase in the use of automatic number plate recognition cameras.

Anyone with information should call Clacton police on 101.