Burglars swipe Valentines hampers from Mountmellick boutique

Thieves broke into a recently opened boutique in Mountmellick on the night before Valentines Day and made off with Valentine's gift hampers and much of the stock from the shop.

It is understood that two people reportedly broke in to the business on 34 O'Moore Street on the night of February 13 and stole a large amount of stock, leaving some black bags of items behind when they were disturbed.

Handbags, perfume, some clothes and make-up were among the items stolen.

Proprietor Kristine Melne says she no longer feels safe since the incident.

"Still shocked myself. Mad angry. Working hard and some people think they can get everything for free and get away with that. Don't feel safe at all anymore," she said on social media.

She thanked local people who rallied in support for her on social media, condemning the theft and urging her to post photos of the stolen items so they can be recognised.

"I'm very glad to be part of Mountmellick. Thanks for all support, means a lot," Ms Melne added.

The boutique 'Christina World of Sparkles' had recently supported the Little Black Dress fundraiser for the local charity, the Ben and Jake Connolly Trust.

"Kristine is such a lovely lady she single handedly provided all the goodies for the little black dress event last November to raise funds for our town's very own Ben and Jake Connolly Trust. Let's hope our town might be able to help her now when she needs us," said trust member Janet Stewart on social media.

"She struggled and has built it up to be a great benefit to our town. Kristine works hard and like all us self employed puts in long hours to build up her business. Please help if you may have noticed anything suspicious," Ms Stewart appealed.