Raiders empty Tettenhall wedding dress shop

Bespoke wedding dresses worth tens of thousands of pounds have been stolen by burglars who smashed their way into a Wolverhampton boutique.

About 40 gowns were stolen when the front door to Patricia Couture in Tettenhall, was hammered through during a raid.

Heartbroken studio owner Patricia Onions said today that 20 of those were from her couture range, which she had painstakingly designed and added to over a decade and were priced from £2,500.

A further 20 dresses used by brides-to-be to try on for size – worth a further £1,000 each – were also taken.

Mrs Onions, who has decades of experience in the fashion industry, has been left "devastated" by Tuesday night's raid and now fears for the future of her business.

She said: "I'm sure I can reorder dresses that weren't in the couture range but they will take about 20 weeks to come in. I have appointments this Saturday. This will have a big impact. I just really, really want those couture dresses back. I am pleading with whoever took them to just box them up and leave them outside or something."

Mother-of-five Mrs Onions was alerted to the raid when two officers visited her at home yesterday. When she arrived at her studio, in Lower Green near the Mitre Inn, she found the front door had been smashed in. Dresses had been left strewn across the road.

The couture range dresses are all unique, bespoke gowns that have been hand crafted in-house by Mrs Onions herself.

They are used to showcase her design talents at fashion shows and wedding fairs across the country. Mrs Onions said it would take "years" to replace the gowns. But despite what has happened, the businesswoman said she felt fortunate that dozens of dresses she is currently working on for brides were not taken as they were locked away elsewhere.

Bride-to-be Ravi Kalsi, who is having a dress designed by Patricia, said she was saddened by the raid. The 31-year-old, from Birmingham, was due to travel to London with Mrs Onions yesterday to pick jewellery for her wedding but had to cancel following the raid.

She said: "It's terrible that this has happened. Patricia has such a professional approach, and I love her creativity.

Mrs Onions was formerly based in High Street, Tettenhall, but relocated in 2010 because the Lower Green premises are bigger.

Police spokesman David Hodgetts appealed for witnesses or anyone with information about the raid to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.