Shocking CCTV footage shows three ‘brazen’ thieves using cable cutters to steal £1,500 worth of power tools from a 110-year-old family business.

The middle-aged suspects broke through chains at Mackays of Cambridge and stuffed six of the expensive equipment into their coats before calmly walking away.

They seemed completely undeterred by the 35 CCTV cameras in the store - and one of the men even looked straight into a lens before taking part in the theft.

Neil Mackay, 68, co-owner of the family business, has shared the footage in the hope of shaming the men, who broke into his shop on March 1.

He said: "It’s absolutely horrifying when you see how brazen they were. "

"They clearly came in with a shopping list, and they knew exactly what tools they were aiming for – they went for the top brands."

"We had everything cabled down, chained down, so these guys came in armed with cutters. "

"My colleagues were all occupied serving customers elsewhere in the shop, leaving this particular area open and vulnerable."

"They looked straight up into the camera. They clearly knew there was CCTV footage - whether they thought they were dummy cameras, I don’t know."

Campaigner Neil, whose family has owned the 10,000-square-foot business since 1912, has spoken to politicians for over a decade about thefts in stores.

He said the problem facing Britain was only getting worse but many in the trade now do not bother calling the police as they had become so commonplace.

He said: "A lot of people have given up, and they are just leaning back and thinking of England and slowly but surely, their businesses are being wrecked. "

"If people get away with this, they feel emboldened, and that leads them to make more serious crimes – they get led down a particular path."

Neil, who employs around 20 people at his store, said he felt the term ‘shoplifting’ demeaned the crime and made it seem less serious.

And he said that using the term ‘shop theft’ would help the public see just how devastating this issue can be for the people involved.

He added: "I have been campaigning for nearly 15 years to get ‘shoplifting’ changed from the lexicon. "

"It makes it seem like a lesser crime. I think it should be called ‘theft’ or ‘shop theft’."

"Somehow we have to change society’s opinion about what shop theft is. It’s got to be reported as the lowest of the low."

Cambridgeshire Constabulary said detectives were probing the thefts.

A spokesman for the force said: "An investigation has been launched and anyone with any information is urged to contact us."

"We’re working with retailers and organisations concerning shoplifting, and seeking prosecutions where we can. We will investigate all lines of enquiry."

Neil once helped to jail a man dubbed ‘Britain’s dumbest shoplifter’ after he complained to police about a CCTV still photo circulating of him from his store.

Nicholas Allegretto was captured on film stealing an industrial magnet from Mackays of Cambridge in February 2015.

But not long later, he was arrested when he walked into a police station to voice his anger at the picture that Neil had given of him to a local newspaper.