Thieves break into Coventry music venue HMV Empire.

Thieves broke into Coventry’s popular music venue, HMV Empire, overnight and were discovered by staff on Thursday.

It is believed that they gained access through ongoing building work as part of the city centre south scheme.

Images shared online by venue owner Phil Rooney show damage to the venue’s window, smashed gaming machines inside, and a scaffold pole strewn across a chair.

CCTV footage shows the robbers on the balcony, one of them had his arms around a charity tin on the bar. Mr Rooney told CoventryLive: “We’ve never had a break-in, even at our previous location on Far Gosford Street.

“It looks like they have climbed over the back where the building works are, and he’s come to our building with a scaffold pole – he must have taken that off the scaffolding and got onto our balcony and smashed up our window to get in.”

Police have been notified of the break-in, and we have approached them for comment.

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