ROBBERS smashed their way into a supermarket in an early morning ram raid.

The windows and shutters of the Co-Operative Food outlet in Nursling were smashed in by robbers who appear to have used a vehicle in the raid.

Police say a "large quantity" of cigarettes and packets of tobacco were taken.

Officers from Hampshire police were called to the store in Nursling Street, Nursling at about 3am yesterday.

The Co-Operative Food supermarket was targeted by robbers who crashed through its windows at the store near Nursling and Rownhams Village Hall.

Officers are on site investigating and the store has been boarded up.

Glass is littered over the floor at the scene with the metal shutters smashed in.

There is also a car bumper and window fixtures lying on the floor at the scene.

The shop itself is taped off and remains closed. Neighbouring businsses had been taped off but are now open.

One Nursling resident who doesn't want to be named heard the bang of when the raid happened.

He looked out of his bedroom window to find a black estate car "backed against the window" of the shop.

He said: "I got woken up by a bang, half a minute later there was an alarm. I thought here we go again.

"I got up and there was a black estate car was backed against the window.

"The whole of the window was gone and the security grill was bound up towards the shop ceiling.

"The police arrived within three or four minutes. I saw three lads coming out of the shop.

It was dark, I could only see one coming towards the driver's side.

"They were off in a rather Formula 1 style."

The grandfather added that a second car, a black Ford Focus, was parked nearby with a smashed passenger window.

He added that it had been recovered by police.

He said it was a regular occurrence with the shop being targeted several times over the past few years.