Thieves forced their way through the roof of a Rochdale pharmacy last week, marking its second such burglary in three months.

Adiel Aslam, manager of Lloydspharmacy at 462 Whitworth Road, said thieves had removed roof tiles to gain entry to the premises last Wednesday night (April 15). The individuals had failed to access the controlled drugs cabinet, but still managed to steal medicines such as diazepam, lorazepam and nitrazepam, he said.

“It’s a single-storey building and it’s not really a residential area. They probably used a ladder or the bins to [get] onto the roof,” Mr Aslam told C+D yesterday (April 20).

Mr Aslam said the thieves had cut “all the cables” at the pharmacy, which left the premises with “no communications”. The business was closed until midday on Thursday while workmen fixed the roof tiles, he said.

Some customers were “quite taken aback” by the burglary - the second time intruders had entered via the roof in three months - Mr Aslam said. Lloydspharmacy was now considering installing extra security measures, including a security sensor on the roof and an anti-burglary device that could fill the premises with smoke if triggered, he added.

Greater Manchester Police said “numerous packets of medication” had been stolen from the pharmacy between 10.45pm and 11.15pm, and urged the public to help them “take these dangerous drugs off the streets”.

“The offenders have stolen a quantity of controlled drugs, which could cause serious injury or harm in the wrong hands,” said detective sergeant Kirsten Buggy. "No member of the public should ever consume them without the direction of a medical expert, so it is vital we recover them as soon as possible,” she said.

Detective sergeant Buggy urged anyone who was offered the drugs to “refuse them and contact police immediately” on 101 or to get in touch anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Has your pharmacy ever been burgled?

We want to hear your views, but please express them in the spirit of a constructive, professional debate. For more information about what this means, please click here to see our community principles and information