A thief broke into the basement of an off-licence before escaping with £10,000 worth of cigarettes.

The raider is understood to have used a cutting tool to break through an iron grid at the back of the shop before making his way into the space below the shop floor.

He then used a saw and hammer to create a hole which he climbed up through into the Shop 'n' Stop store in Paisley, Renfrewshire in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Once he broke in, he grabbed the huge haul of cigarettes and tobacco as well as a four-figure sum of cash.

Police revealed they were reviewing CCTV from the shop in a bid to track down the crook.

The suspect they are looking for is a slim man who was wearing a dark hoodie with white patches on his shoulders and wore a scarf over his face.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "At around 3.15am on Saturday, officers were alerted to an alarm activation at a commercial premises in Causeyside Street, Paisley.

"During the break-in, a large quantity of cigarettes and a four-figure sum of money was taken."