A CHADDESLEY Corbett businessman who watched his firm being burgled on CCTV claimed police told him they were "too busy" to attend.

Paul Smart, 65, compared watching masked thieves armed with iron bars sneaking around his business, Doodah Creative, in Brierley Hill, to an episode of Coronation Street and was left stunned when police refused to attend, despite making numerous phone calls.

The burglars got away with £25,000 worth of high-tech equipment, including three Apple Mac computers, a MacBook and keyboards, during the raid at 2am on Friday, May 13. A shutter over a window was also damaged.

Mr Smart got through to West Mercia Police when he dialled 999 but after giving them the business address, he was told to call West Midlands Police on 101.

“I called 101 and told the same story and could they send the police,” he said.

“They said they did not have the manpower to do anything. They told me they were very busy and that no one was available because there had been a stabbing in the area.

“I then watched the burglars leave, called 101, and watched them come in again.

“Both times they said they could not come out. They gave me every excuse under the sun. At one point West Midlands Police told me they no longer come out to commercial properties.

“I was shocked. It just wasn’t good enough.

“When you are watching someone take your property and your hard work away like that, while not being able to do anything, it was awful.”

West Mercia Police, which covers the area where he lives, has apologised, while a spokesman for West Midlands Police said it was discussing "issues" with Mr Smart, following the incident.

Chief Inspector Sean Kent, from West Mercia Police, said: “When there is an emergency incident taking place and a 999 call has been mis-routed, it is usual for the call-handler to take all appropriate details and relay the information to the responsible force for the area in which the incident is occurring. In this instance, this did not happen.

"This was not the standard of service that Mr Smart should have every right to expect from West Mercia Police, and I have offered my apology to him."

Inspector Gill Davenport, from West Midlands Police, said: “An investigation is under way and detectives are carrying out house to house inquiries, as well as looking at CCTV in the area.

"Second-hand retailers are also being visited so that they can be aware of the stolen property should anyone attempt to sell it.

"We have been made aware that the victim in this case is disappointed with the police response and we are discussing these issues with him to understand the concerns he has and to address them."

The force has also said that police officers are "always immediately dispatched to reports of burglaries in progress, regardless of whether at residential or commercial premises".