A YORK furniture warehouse has been burgled for the second time in a week.

An intruder wearing a balaclava is believed to have climbed through a hole in the roof of Dave Dee’s Banana Warehouse in Piccadilly, barricaded the front door and smashed cabinets used by smaller sellers at the front of the shop to steal goods worth about £2,500 to £3,000.

The thief then climbed back through the roof and was caught on CCTV by a neighbouring property at about 1.30am today.

It is similar to the burglary carried out last week when a burglar smashed a hole in the shop’s 30ft-high roof and made away with £1,000 to £1,500 in goods.

Mr Dee, owner of the Banana Warehouse, said it was another set back for the business, which was struggling in the recession. He said: “I’m absolutely devastated, I can’t begin to say how bad I feel.

“It has not just robbed us. We will have to pay some of the people back who have lost their stuff. We have got to try and earn that, to cover costs, to pay rent and rates. They are not just burgling us, they could be robbing my staff of their jobs.”

Mr Dee said that the office had also been turned upside down, but that no money was being kept in there following the last break-in.

All of the smaller sellers goods have been withdrawn from the shop as a precaution, he said.

The thief had entered the property by breaking through the same section of roof as used last week. The roof has since been re-secured and additional security measures put in place on the site.

The Banana Warehouse was also burgled six months ago, when £2,500 was stolen.

North Yorkshire Police confirmed the burglary happened in the early hours of yesterday morning and had been reported to them Anyone with information should phone North Yorkshire Police on 101 or phone Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.