A GANG travelled more than 45 miles to raid a popular Glasgow Fort shop of around £35,000 worth of designer clothing in a string of break-ins spanning two cities.

The thugs made the journey after stealing an Audi from Buckstone Loan near Edinburgh.

It’s not yet known how many people were involved in the robbery, however, the group hit the Fort’s Tessuti store around 2am yesterday and stole around £35,000 worth of jackets.

The capital’s JD Sports at Fort Kinnaird, Gant on George Street and the Clarkson Jewellers in West Bow were then also hit during the spate of break-ins before the car was ditched in Ratho around 3.30am.

Detective Inspector Bob Campbell from Edinburgh division’s housebreaking unit said: “Now that we have recovered the vehicle, it will be subject to forensic analysis and then returned to the rightful owners.

“Members of the public need now only contact us if they have any further information relating to the Audi’s movements between the evening of Tuesday and the early hours of Thursday.

“In addition, anyone with any further information relating to the break-ins at the businesses in the capital, or at The Fort in Glasgow, should contact police immediately.”

Councillors for the area have branded the incident an “attack on the local community”.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly said: “Robberies like this are an attack on the local community, they adversely impact the lives of employees and damage the local economy.

“I would encourage anyone with any information or who is offered any suspected stolen goods to contact the police. The Fort is a fantastic shipping facility in the North East of the city and people should feel safe to shop and work in the area without the threat of this sort of criminal activity.”

Councillor Maureen Burke said: “The Fort is very precious to me as a councillor and an elected member.

“It’s a bit tragic given how well the shops have been doing.

“It’s not a reflection of how Easterhouse is. This is the first incident in 15 years.”

The retailer, which is owned by JD Sports, said it could not comment on a police investigation.

Phil Goodman, centre director at Glasgow Fort said: “We have security staff on site 24 hours a day and

regularly review these arrangements to make sure our security is as robust as can be.”